Salt's Role in Food Preservation & Bacterial Control

Before refrigerators and artificial preservatives, food preparers used salt to keep bacteria from spoiling. Salt can still be used as a preservative and is also effective in killing bacteria.

History

• Salt is an ancient antibiotic that has been used since ancient China to prevent food from spoiling.

Salt Effects

• High salt concentration causes water to leave the body of the bacteria, killing it. Thoroughly salting meat can ensure that meat stays preserved in the long term.

Spores

• Bacteria often release dry spores that germinate, similar to how seeds germinate. But salt dries the environment, making it impossible for the bacteria to germinate.

Warning

• Salting meat will only kill surface bacteria. Meat that has been salted might still need to be cooked to kill bacteria beneath the surface.

Discoveries

• As of August 2009, research at Penn State University and Tsinghua University have found that bacteria can be used to make saltwater drinkable.