Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Help Celiac.com:
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Table Salt Turns Pink..any Chemists Out There?


gabby

Recommended Posts

gabby Enthusiast

Hi,

This isn't a gluten question...but I was hoping that any chemists out there could help me unravel a salt mystery! I'm in Croatia for a little while, and have been using a store-bought brand of regular iodized table salt which is also supposed to be sea salt. Yesterday, I sifted about a cup of the salt and noticed that these little square crystals were left behind in the sifter. I threw these square crystals out, and left the remaining salt in a clean and dry bowl on the counter. Now, 24 hours later, the salt has turned pink! Like a pastel-pink, with a little tiny bit actually turning dark purple.

Does anybody know what's happening?

Thanks for your help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Jestgar Rising Star

iodine and starch?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gabby Enthusiast

Could be... I'll keep digging on this. I've used several boxes of this salt and never had this happen before..until I sifted out those square crystals. I'm guessing I sifted out something that keeps the iodine from reacting with other things.

I'm sure it is normal...just thought I'd check and see what's up!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ravenwoodglass Mentor

Could be... I'll keep digging on this. I've used several boxes of this salt and never had this happen before..until I sifted out those square crystals. I'm guessing I sifted out something that keeps the iodine from reacting with other things.

I'm sure it is normal...just thought I'd check and see what's up!

I'm not so sure it's normal.I would call the company that made it and see if they can tell you what happened. I do know I wouldn't use it. Perhaps your local high school science teacher or someone at the Health Dept might have some idea.

There is pink salt but it is pink when you buy it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gabby Enthusiast

I'll keep digging...and post a follow up. I've heard that it could be chlorine reacting with the iodine; I have noticed a distinct chlorine smell to the tap water lately (maybe they are adding more chlorine to the water due to the spring run-off of melting snow and ice). But I'll check it out.

thanks for your help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
larry mac Enthusiast

...... I'm in Croatia for a little while, and have been using a store-bought brand of regular iodized table salt which is also supposed to be sea salt......

Don't know much about Croatia, but over here table salt is absolutely the most inexpensive food item there is. Maybe bulk water is cheaper. I'd just throw it out and get some more.

Secondly, and again they may do things differently there, but here there is regular table salt, which contains iodine, and then there is sea salt, which is only pure sea salt. I've never heard of a salt being both. Perhaps they don't have immense underground salt deposits there and must use sea salt for everything.

best regards, lm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
larry mac Enthusiast

Just now I was at Walmart and lo & behold what did I see? Iodized sea salt!

What a coincidence. I wasn't even looking for salt. It just happenned to be on the shelf next to the sugar (which I needed) and I noticed it. There was regular sea salt, and the iodized sea salt. Both were in the old fashoined cylindrical salt containers, about 4-5 inches in diameter, and about 7-8 inches tall. Use to be sea salt only came in fancier containers. Maybe I just haven't kept up with salt advances in Walmart. It's something that last a very long time, and I hardly ever buy it.

Now margarita salt, that's a different story. I use a lot of it, and buy it all the time. :D

Anyway, I did buy some of the sea salt (un-iodized).

best regards, lm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



gabby Enthusiast

I went looking for un-iodized sea salt...and couldn't find any. So I threw out the old box of salt, and bought a new one. It looks okay to me. I had been cooking broccoli and cauliflower the other day when I was using the 'pink' salt.....and I had the salt in a bowl so I could just add pinches of salt as I was cooking (sea salt is sticky). I probably got cauliflower juice or broccoli bits into the salt bowl and I'm guessing there was some sort of reaction from that.

I'm going to declare this case closed and move on. There's lots more interesting things to explore in this country besides the salt ;-)

thanks again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
larry mac Enthusiast

Thus the salt shaker was invented! :o

best regards,lm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      120,460
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    BrittanyH
    Newest Member
    BrittanyH
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.2k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • B1rdL0ver
    • shadycharacter
      Fermentation breaks down some of the gluten in wheat. Nowhere enough for a wheat dough to become gluten free, but the gluten may be significantly reduced. I think some pizzerias make the dough the day before and leave it overnight. The longer the microbes are acting on the flour, the better.
    • trents
      And the fact is, no two celiacs will necessarily respond the same to gluten exposure. Some are "silent" celiacs and don't experience obvious symptoms. But that doesn't mean no harm is being done to their gut. It just means it is subclinical. 
    • AlyO
      Thank you, Trents.  I appreciate your helpful and friendly reply. It seems more likely to be a bug.  It has been a pretty severe bought. I feel that I don’t have enough experience to know what signs my little one shows after exposure to gluten. 
    • trents
      Hannah24, be aware that if you are on a gluten free diet, you will invalidate any further testing for celiac disease (except genetics) and would need to go back to eating significant amounts of gluten for weeks or months to qualify for valid testing.
×
×
  • Create New...