Comparison of the Mineral Contents of Sun-dried Salt Depending on Wet Digestion and Dissolution

The aims of this research were to determine the proximate composition of various salts and to compare two digestion methods (direct digestion without heating, and microwave digestion) for the determination of the main mineral contents of various salts. Twelve salt samples were divided into three groups of four samples each (imported, Korean gray, and Korean white salts). As a result, the NaCl contents of the Korean white, Korean gray, and imported salts were 85.1, 89.3, and 91.3%, respectively. The salts in the three groups were analyzed for their main mineral contents via AAS. The sodium (Na) content of the Korean white salt was found to be slightly lower than that of the imported salt while the magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) contents of the Korean white salt were found to be higher than those of the imported salt. The mineral composition (% Na:Mg) obtained using microwave-assisted digestion procedures, and the other dissolutions for the subsequent sample analysis, were 89:1 (for both the imported and Korean gray salts) and 82:3 vs. 81:3 (Korean white salt), respectively. The data regarding the mineral contents and composition of the sun-dried salts obtained through the analysis method of wet digestion and the dissolution procedure were compared, and no significant difference was found between the two datasets. Consequently, in this paper, a direct dissolution procedure is suggested for the analysis of the mineral composition of salt.