What mechanism allows salting to effectively halt spoilage in meat and fish?

Answer

It draws moisture out of the food through osmosis

Salting, one of the oldest preservation techniques alongside drying, functions based on a fundamental principle of chemistry related to water concentration. When large quantities of salt, often sourced from coastal areas or salt pans, are applied to meat or fish, a strong osmotic gradient is established. Osmosis is the natural movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration. In this context, the high concentration of salt outside the food tissue pulls the necessary water content out of the cells. Since water is essential for bacteria and mold to thrive and multiply, removing this moisture effectively inhibits microbial growth and halts the spoilage process, even without formal understanding of microbiology at the time.

What mechanism allows salting to effectively halt spoilage in meat and fish?

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