Sodium occurs naturally in many foods and is also added in the form of salt. The sodium content of food has important implications for health. Sodium is a nutrient and is part of the group of dietary minerals. Essential to life, it cannot be produced by the human body and thus has to be provided by the diet. The physiological requirements of sodium of the human body are relatively low (estimated at the equivalent of 1 to 2 gram of salt per day) and are met by the diet. Fresh cheeses (non-salted) contain very little sodium (from 30 to 60 mg /100g). Hard cheeses – because of added salt – contain much higher levels of sodium (from 200 to 1600 mg/100g). Within a family of cheeses and depending on the brands, large variations exist between sodium contents of the cheeses, depending on lower or higher addition of salt by the cheese maker.

Dilution:
Dilute the sample with hot water to a 10% ratio. After the sample melts, the fat will float to the top.

Using the plastic pipette, drip sample onto the prism surface. Fill the well completely.