ObjectiveThis purpose of this study is to describe the impact that popular desalting techniques has on the sodium content of the jerky consumed by hypertensive Northeast Brazilians.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was administered to 404 consenting individuals to determine how often and how much jerky they consumed and the desalting techniques employed. The impact of the most popular desalting techniques on sodium content was determined by chloride quantification and the results were compared with that of the technique proposed by the Brazilian Food Composition Table (2006), which is capable of reducing sodium content by 75%.ResultsSeventy-four percent (299) of the 404 individuals aged M=57.5, SD=13.6 years (69% women and 31,0% men) reported consuming jerky. Of these, 63.5% consumed jerky weekly (190/299) and 23% daily (69/299). Hence, their per capita jerky consumption was 34g/day and 160g/day, respectively. The most popular desalting technique used by 67,0% of the population was boiling. Boiling twice and rinsing once achieved the greatest sodium reduction (57,0%). For 63,0% of the population, jerky contributed with 37,0% of the maximum recommended sodium intake. This percentage could be reduced to 21,0% if the technique proposed by the Brazilian Food Composition Table were used. For the 23,0% who consumed it daily, jerky alone provided 169,0% of the maximum recommended sodium intake, which could be reduced to 97.9% if the technique proposed by the Brazilian Food Composition Table were used.ConclusionJerky is consumed frequently by this population and represents an important source of dietary sodium, which can be reduced by different desalting techniques. The most effective desalting technique used by the population involved boiling but it was not as effective as the technique proposed by the Brazilian Food Composition Table. The recommendations include investigation of the other techniques mentioned by 22,0% the population, reduction of the per capita consumption of 160g/day and adoption of the technique proposed by the Brazilian Food Composition Table.
Sodium dietary; Hypertension; Consumption of charque; Techniques of desalting of charque
