Manaf, Marina Abdul (2025) Evaluation of salt content in meals available at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Health Campus cafeteria. Project Report. Pusat Pengajian Sains Kesihatan. (Submitted)
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Abstract
Meals sold in campus cafeteria are source of food for students, staff and lecturers, particularly during lunch hour. People tend to have lunch on campus during lunch hour to save time and energy compared to dining off-campus. The addition of table salt and sauces to food is very common in Malaysian practices and has been identified as a major contributor to sodium intake. Despite its essential role in nerve and muscle function, consuming excessive sodium can have detrimental health effects. This study aimed to analyse the salt content of meals available in campus cafeterias, categorised into two groups, namely main meals and snack foods to encourage consumers to make informed food choices. Main meals (0.975 g/100 g) were found to have higher average salt content compared to snacks (0.562 g/100 g). Food items were categorised into three levels of sodium, low (<120 mg/100 g), medium (120-599 mg/100 g) and high (>600 mg/100 g). 60% of the selected food items in this study fell within the medium sodium level. In the low sodium level category, snacks were the main contributors with cek mek molek containing the least sodium. In contrast, main meals dominated the high sodium category. This may be due to the use of various seasonings and sauces during cooking, which often serve as preservatives, flavour and colour enhancers and stabilizers. The highest sodium content was observed in gulai ikan masin (1584.3 mg/100 g). These findings can raise awareness among consumers and food providers, encouraging collaborative efforts in salt reduction strategy therefore potentially reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in Malaysia.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Project Report) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | salt content |
| Subjects: | R Medicine R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine |
| Divisions: | Kampus Kesihatan (Health Campus) > Pusat Pengajian Sains Kesihatan (School of Health Sciences) > Monograph |
| Depositing User: | Mr Abdul Hadi Mohammad |
| Date Deposited: | 14 Jan 2026 01:03 |
| Last Modified: | 22 Feb 2026 07:24 |
| URI: | http://eprints.usm.my/id/eprint/63452 |
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