DETERMINATION OF IODINE CONTENT OF DOMESTIC SALT SOLD IN UGHELLI SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, DELTA STATE

Sufficient daily dietary iodine (I) intake is necessary for the production of thyroid hormones. Insufficient intake or assimilation impairs the synthesis of thyroid hormones and may result in hypothyroidism. If hypothyroidism occur early in life, a range of functional and physiological abnormalities collectively termed “Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) may develop. Iodate and iodine are the only two forms of which iodine is added to table salt. The use of salt in domestic and other functions is liable to contamination from sources or process of usage. In this study, thirty samples of domestic salt made up of ten each of popular brands in Ugelli South L.G.A in Delta State were obtained from local retail stores and assessed for microbial qualities and iodine contents. Standard microbial methods and iodometric titration method were employed for sample per enrichment and within counts (? 10 to101 cfu/g) significantly ( p? 0.05 ) lower than standard specifications. The iodine contents for the three brand were 21.05 ± 0.42, 41.78± 0.67 and 29.70 ± 0.27 (SSC). All the salt samples analyzed except for SSC had iodine content significantly (p? 0.05) different from the standard ?30ppm iodine at distributor and retail levels and ?50ppm iodine at post of entry salt factory level. This could indicate non compliance to standard specification. The study recommends the need for effective legislation and strict monitoring of food fortification at all levels in Nigeria to ensure compliance to standard.