Common salt
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Common salt or table salt, popularly known as salt, is a type of salt called sodium chloride (or sodium chloride).), whose chemical formula is NaCl. There are three types of common salt, depending on its origin: sea salt and spring salt, which are obtained by evaporation; rock salt, which comes from the mining extraction of a mineral rock called halite, and vegetable salt, which is obtained by concentration, by boiling a grass plant (a method also used to obtain sugar from another grass plant) that grows in the Kalahari desert.
Salt provides food with one of the basic flavors, salty, which can be perceived because the tongue has specific receptors for its detection. The consumption of salt modifies behavior towards food, since it generates appetite and stimulates its intake. It is used mainly in two areas: as a seasoning for some dishes and as a preservative in salted meat and fish (including some vegetables), as well as in the preparation of certain pickles. Since the 19th century, the industrial use of salt has diversified and is involved in a multitude of processes, such as in the paper industry (sodium hydroxide -NaOH-), the manufacture of cosmetics, the chemical industry, etc. In the XXI century, the world production of total salt for human consumption does not reach 25 percent of total production.
Salt is the only rock that is edible for humans, and it is possibly the oldest condiment. Its importance to life is such that it has marked the development of history on many occasions, and continues to move economies and it is subject to taxes, monopolies, wars, etc. It was even a type of currency. The value that it had in ancient times has been reduced since its global demand for human consumption began to decrease, due in part to the improvement in its production and to the global awareness that the possible relationship it has with the appearance of hypertension has generated. In the XXI century, diets seek to include less salt in their compositions, and new preservation systems (pasteurized, refrigerated and frozen foods, vacuum-packed foods, etc.) make it possible to completely avoid the use of salting on food.
Salt is a cheap seasoning that can be easily found in any store or supermarket. The consumer finds it in three formats: fine, fat or in the form of flakes (the latter is usually used in haute cuisine). It is also marketed in two types: as refined salt, the most common, in the form of homogeneous, white crystals, and as unrefined salt, whose crystals can be more irregular and less white.
An increasing number of countries market it as a functional food to which iodine is added to prevent local diseases, such as goiter, or fluoride to prevent tooth decay.
History
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In the first human settlements
The location of salt deposits was especially relevant in the definitive locations of primitive human settlements, because its consumption is not only a human need, but also allows food to be preserved and its edible life to be prolonged. One of the first cultures in which the use and extraction of salt was documented is the Chinese (since the 27th century BC).
The salt routes
During the Roman Empire, specific routes were created in Europe to facilitate the marketing of salt between different regions; For example, a route for transporting salt originates in Rome, called Via Salaria. Other examples can also be seen in Germany, with the Alte Salzstrasse, or in France, with the Route du Sel.
Salt and wars
The existing interests between the merchants and the different States have generated numerous wars to control not only the saline deposits, but also the salt markets.
Salt and etymologies
The etymology of some words provides clear examples of the importance of salt in ancient times. For example, the term salario in Spanish is derived from the Latin salarium, which in turn comes from “salt” and originates from the amount of salt that was given to a worker (particularly Roman legionaries) in order to preserve their food (salarium argentum). Salt was important in the Mediterranean and a popular salted fish sauce called garum, whose recipe was later forgotten in Western cuisine.
Salt and taxes
Over the centuries, the importance of the salt market was such that some European governments turned it into a state monopoly and even levied taxes. An example of a tax applied to the consumption and sale of salt could be seen in France, where until the 19th century a tax on salt called the gabelle was levied: as it was a staple food, this tax was very unpopular, and one of the first measures taken during the French Revolution was to abolish it, considered almost one of the triggers for it. Another protest related to salt taxes took place in India in the mid-20th century: the so-called Salt March was led by Gandhi and later brought the independence of India and Pakistan from the British Empire. In America, pre-Columbian cultures also traded in salt, and it is known that the Mayans used it as currency.
In the colonization of America
During the conquest of America, the centers of salt production became one of the main objectives to dominate. The European colonization of America in the north had the intention of taking over and generating new sources of salt production. Fishing activities made the demand for salt grow in America and it was necessary to look for new markets to expand the trade in salted fish. During the independence of the United States, salt played a fundamental role in controlling the troops of the "rebel colonies".
First demonstrations against excessive consumption
At the same time, in the period from the 17th to the 20th century, the number of supporters against the excessive consumption of salt grew. For example, in Spain the humanist Bernardino Gómez Miedes wrote in 1579 a treatise in three volumes entitled Comments on salt, the first monograph published in Europe on the so-called "white gold" of the Modern Age, an authentic scientific-literary encyclopedia on salt.
The COMA report
The situation regarding the benefits and harms of excessive salt consumption became clearer in the XX century, when in In 1994 the COMA (Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy, Committee for the Surveillance of Nutritional Aspects of Food) recommended a daily dose per person of 6 g. Global dietary salt consumption declined during the 19th century due to improvements in refrigeration and freezing systems of food, which relegated to the background the use of salt in the preservation of certain products.
New apps
Despite this reduction in per capita consumption, global consumption has always been growing with the growth of the population, as well as the appearance of new needs and applications of salt, such as the case of its use in the de-icing of highways and urban streets.[citation required]
Properties
Salt is an ionic compound formed by a combination of Cl– and Na+ ions, arranged in a crystalline structure in the form of a cubic system. Sodium chloride (NaCl) has the same number of chlorine atoms as sodium and the chemical bond that unites them is classified as ionic existing between the ions: a sodium cation (Na+) and a chlorine anion (Cl–), in such a way that the empirical formula NaCl is composed as follows:
Na + Cl → Na+ + Cl− → NaCl
The crystalline structure formed by the two ions has less energy than the separate ions, and this is a guarantee of stability. NaCl has such a simple cubic crystal structure that it can usually be found in crystallography books as a simple and educational illustrated example of a cubic lattice. Salt crystals can be grown in the laboratory (a valid process for this purpose is the Bridgman-Stockbarger method).
Pure salt has about 60.66% by weight of elemental chlorine and 39.34% of sodium (sometimes it appears approximately as 60-40). The salt has among its physical properties a solubility of 35.7 g/100 ml at 0 °C. Salt has, however, a different final solubility depending on the size of its crystal; for example, the 'granular' they take longer to dissolve than fine or flake crystals (an example is maldon salt); this effect can be noticed in the kitchen. The speed of solubilization causes the different salts to be applied at different moments in the preparation of the food; for example, the most soluble salts are used during cooking, the least soluble in the stages prior to being served to diners. The boiling point of liquids (solvent) is increased by dissolving salt in them (just like sugar), in the same way the freezing point is lowered, and it is for this reason that foods cooked in brines are they do in less time.
Pure salt does not possess hygroscopic properties, and when it does, these physical properties are due to the presence of traces of magnesium chloride or other impurities.
The generic denomination that is made of salt is applied to substances that contain different main concentrations of sodium chloride. The concentration is highly dependent on the way the salt was processed. The salt extracted from the vacuum evaporators is the salt with the highest concentration of NaCl (it reaches percentages of up to 99% by weight in chloride). There are other elements included in the salt that have lower concentrations (they are usually called trace elements) such as: copper (2 mg/kg), lead (2 mg/kg), arsenic (0.5 mg/kg), cadmium (0.5 mg/kg), etc. Some physical qualities of salts are measured with specific analytical instruments, as in the case of specific gravity that can be measured with a salimeter. Sea salts tend to be richer in magnesium sulfate (MgSO4•7H2O) and also contain some traces of iodine as well as micro-organic materials. On the contrary, mineral salts (or from mines) may contain anhydrite, gypsum or glauberite.
Pure salt is odorless, it is sometimes flavored with certain spices for a better seasoning or salting effect. In the same way, salt crystals are colorless and odorless. The presence of colors in some cases is due to the presence of minerals in the clay, which give it a pink color, as in the case of salt from Pakistan, the Himalayas or Cardona (Barcelona) or to traces of elements other than chlorine and of sodium within the crystalline network of salt, which produce the color by the mechanism known as color centers or F centers. This mechanism produces the blue or violet color in specimens from the Remolinos mine, in Zaragoza (Spain). In some cases, the color in the salt comes from organic impurities introduced during its preparation; for example, in the case of black salt (kala namak, in India) or smoked salt, which retains the colors acquired during the brine evaporation process by means of fires made from the combustion of various organic material. It can also be artificially colored with charcoal (E-153), as in some types of Hawaiian salt. The salt grains are between 0.7 mm and 3.2 mm in diameter. In the case of "coarse salt" or "thaw salt", they can reach 18 mm.
The addition of salt to food gives it a salty taste, but its ability to enhance other aromas and flavors must also be taken into account (provided it is used in small amounts). Used as a seasoning in some foods, salt can slightly mitigate the acid taste.
It has not been proven that children and mature people are capable of recognizing the salty taste in brines with a concentration of 0.05% salt (one tablespoon per 10 liters), and this percentage is double for older people 60 years old.
Obtaining salt
Salt is usually obtained by different means, as a general rule it is intended to be separated by:
- Evaporation of a sausage - It is based on an evaporation of an increasingly concentrated saline dissolution until the salt rushes to the bottom. To achieve evaporation, natural means such as solar evaporation are often used, or artificial as can be cooking in special pans (as in the case of solar evaporation) briquetage). Marine water is an inexhaustible source of salt since approximately 2.7 % (in weight) is NaCl, or otherwise said 78 million metric tons per cubic kilometer of marine water, which provides this method a cheap and inexhaustible form of salt.
- Pulverization of a mineral - Salt is obtained from minerals extracted from salt or mines of little or medium depth. This mineral is called halita and is usually extracted in two forms: saline mud or in the form of rock-mineral. Some of the minerals can be extracted directly from ancient desiccated salt lakes, or salt lakes, which are on the surface, one of the oldest and largest on the earth is the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. The extracted rocks are usually sprayed by mechanical means.
Historically, the exploitation of salt has been carried out depending on the availability and ease of extraction of salt in the places, for example in China it is traditional in the Shanxi region to extract salt from mines, while in the coastal areas of the Mediterranean or From the Atlantic it is common to use seawater and saltwater springs (underground courses that cross salt deposits) and evaporate it in the sun in what are called salt flats. Some of the salt extraction activities in the salt flats are considered by some authors as a pre-agricultural activity due to the seasonal dependence of some of the collection activities.
The final shape of the crystals indicates to the consumer the methods used in the elaboration of the salt, for example, the cubic crystals of fine and regular size indicate, as a general rule, a rapid evaporation process, while the crystals of salt with triangular (or snowflake-shaped) indicate a slow evaporation process.
Salinas
The activity of extracting salt from seawater by evaporation dates back to Neolithic times. The system is simple and begins when, in the salt flats, the salty water from the sea or from a salty spring is conducted through a network of canals or aqueducts to horizontal platforms built on the land itself, or with wood and stone, if the unevenness of the land allows it. requires. Such seawater evaporation areas are called farms, and in them the water is divided into rectangular plots or threshing floors. The depth of the eras usually oscillates between 15 and 20 centimeters. The evaporation of the brine generally concentrates the brine in three salinity gradients: low (70-30 g/l), medium (140-70 g/l) and high (>150 g/l) until the salt precipitates as crystals, leaving it ready for subsequent collection and drying. The salt can be dried by the effect of the sun and the air, or in deposits protected from the rain, called terraces. These terraces (depending on the salinity) can develop cyanobacterial cultures that show colors that can oscillate between blue and violet.
The salt flats can be categorized depending on their procedures in artisanal or industrial salt flats. Some places such as the European Atlantic coasts or the Mediterranean are prolific in salt flats, the latter counting more than 170, of which 77% are distributed between Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and Greece. Approximately half of the world's salt production comes from maritime salt pans.
Springs
In the case of springs, if their flow was low, water was even introduced or pumped into their interior from other flows or pools, in order to increase production. The salt obtained in springs or in mines sometimes appeared in the appearance of saline mud that used to be collected in concave containers to be put directly on the fire, this forced evaporation operation is very common in places where the climate does not favor natural evaporation.. Some authors mention that the activity of evaporating brine and transporting it using a single clay container was called: briquetage de la seille.
Mines and salt flats
This is a mining activity that is carried out in two possible ways: the mineral is extracted and pulverized until the desired appearance is achieved, or water is pumped and dissolved with the minerals, extracting a kind of sludge-brine that is then dries by evaporation. The methods used depend to a large extent on the geological characteristics of the saline deposits. The salt from the mines has been called "white gold" since ancient times. It is easy to determine by estimation the salt reserves that exist in the sea, it is known that seawater usually has an average concentration between 35 to 36 g of salt per liter, this makes it possible to estimate about seven million cubic kilometers of sea salt, however it is difficult to ascertain the volume of salt coming from mines and salt pans on land. In some places on earth, such as Wieliczka (Poland) and the United States, it can be obtained without the need for purification. In a salt mine, walls of 7.5 meters are usually raised. Sometimes salt can be extracted from existing salt domes in the geographies of certain places.
Salt can appear in the form of mountains as is the case of the mountains of the cities Turda and Slănic (Romania), in many cases the salt deposits could have been ancient seas dried up in the Tertiary period (Cambrian period). One of the largest mines in the world is located in Poland at Wieliczka. In the Middle Ages, the salt from the mines was completely white, while the salt from the salt pans was gray in color and this was popularly taken as a sign of distinction. It is for this reason that some books such as Le Viandier de Taillevent mention salt bleaching recipes. It is also possible to obtain salt from saline glaciers, such as those that exist near the Zagros Mountains (Iran), where salt —due to Earth's gravity— accumulated on the slopes of the mountains, causing a phenomenon similar to that of glaciers. of ice.
Industrial media
With the advent of the industrial revolution, various food preservation systems soon appeared using refrigeration and freezing techniques, and these advances caused the demand for salt for human consumption to fall. However, other salt production techniques appeared using vacuum evaporators capable of crystallizing and depositing through high concentration.
The predecessor of these methods appeared in the United States at the beginning of the XX century, and made only partial use of the technique of empty. It is the so-called Alberger process, patented by Charles L. Weil in 1915, which produces salts with a much lower sodium content and is highly required by the food industry. But the first company to use evaporators was Morton Co. in the mid-XX century. As a general rule, a vacuum evaporation factory consists of one or several vertical, closed cylindrical tanks with a conical bottom, called "pans". Each of these tanks has a steam chamber, the "calandria", completely submerged in the brine to be evaporated.
The principle of vacuum evaporators is very simple, the atmospheric pressure of the sample is lowered until the boiling point drops to room temperature, at which point the brine boils and the salt concentration increases due to evaporation. The evaporation operations are carried out in conditioned containers so that the continuous production of salt is possible. The salt grains obtained by this method are very regular and fine, the moisture levels obtained can reach 0.05% (or even less). The production of some salts through vacuum evaporation processes allow compliance with DIN-EN ISO 9001 as well as HACCP.
Production by country
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In Europe
- In Germany and Austria the toponyms that begin Salz- (or old German) Hall-) are, or have been places of salt production. Examples are: Halle (Saale), Bad Reichenhall, Hallein, Hallstatt where the oldest salt mines in the world are located, Hall in Tirol, Schwäbisch Hall, Salzburg, Salzgitter, Hansestadt Salzwedel, Bad Salzuflen, Bad Salzdetfurth, Bad Salzelmen, Salzkotten, Schweizerf and Bad Salz. The salt market of Luneburg was known in the middle ages.
- In Spain the most important mine salt deposits are located in Cardona (Barcelona), which was exploited by indoor mining and is currently not exploited but is partly maintained for tourist use, and in Remolinos (Zaragoza), which is still in activity obtaining mainly salt destined to the dehydration of roads. In Cabezón de la Sal (Cantabria), Jumilla (Murcia) and in the Cabezo de la Sal de Pinoso (Alicante), salt is extracted by deep dissolution and evaporation of the sausages. The Salt Head is one of the most important halokinetic diapiros in Europe. Throughout the Spanish coastline and due to the excellent weather conditions of the Mediterranean coast for the evaporation of sea water, there are numerous sea salts. From north to south, we find the salts of the Trinity, located in the heart of the natural park of the Delta del Ebro, in Alicante the salts of Torrevieja (from which almost half of the Spanish production is extracted) and the Santa Pola, and in Murcia the San Pedro del Pinatar. In the Balearic Islands we can find the salinas of the Mallorcan municipality of Las Salinas, as well as the salinas located in the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, in the natural park of the Salinas. On the Atlantic coast, another area of important salinas is located in the coastal marshes of the natural park of the Bay of Cadiz, in the estuary of the mouth of the river Guadalete, which encompasses several villages around (El Puerto de Santa María, San Fernando, Puerto Real and Chiclana de la Frontera) and the natural park of Doña Guna in the municipality of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where the city ends. In Spain there are few spring salts that are treated as indoor salts and that were abandoned during the centuryXX., the most important being the Salinas de Añana (Álava), declared historical monument and those of Poza de la Sal (Burgos).
- In France, French salt production is divided between two maritime areas. On the one hand the Atlantic coast, with artisanal salts that produce high quality and prestige salts as is the case of Guérande, well known in the high kitchen, the island of Noirmoutier or the island of Ré. On the other hand, the Mediterranean coast concentrates the production of industrial marine salt in La Camarga, such as Salin-de-Giraud salts, with some artisanal farms. Although most of the production comes from coastal salts, France has a single gemstone salt mine in Varangéville (Lorena).
- In Italy there are some production centers from the time of the Roman Empire, yet one of the most well-known is located on the island of Trapani (Sicilia).
- The salt mines of Wieliczka are well known in Poland.
- In Portugal the production is essentially traditional, giving a marine salt of high gastronomic value as in the salinas existing in Aveiro (Baixo Vouga), in the Algarve around Faro and Castro Marim, and in Setúbal (Estremadura). The culture of salt is deeply rooted on the Atlantic coasts, as illustrated by a poem by Fernando Pessoa "O sea out, quanto do teu sal; São tears de Portugal!"Oh salty sea, how much of your salt are tears of Portugal!).
- It is possible to find salt factories in Cheshire, Nantwich and Maldon (salt of Maldon very used in the high kitchen).
- In Romania is well known the Salina Turda.
- In Russia as well as in other Slavic peoples it is very popular in traditions as popular as bread and salt. Salt usually comes from mining extractions in Udech and Kolomyya, as well as in Dnestr (Crimea), salt evaporation is traditionally derived from some areas of the White Sea. One of the most important salt markets in Russia is Novgorod.
In America
- The second largest producer in the world is the United States
- Canada has salt production in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.
- In Argentina 50% of the production comes from the province of La Pampa, the rest of the production is distributed among the salts of San Luis and Buenos Aires.
- The largest salt producer in South America is Brazil (in the Rio Grande do Norte region and in Rio de Janeiro, in the so-called Região dos Lagos), followed by Chile and Colombia.
- In Bolivia salt is obtained from the salt flats of Coipasa and Uyuni, the latter being (with the exception of the oceans) the largest deposit of salt in the world.
- In Chile, the salt is obtained from the Tarapacá salt flat, being the main national production center the commune of Iquique.
- In Colombia, the most productive sites are Nemocón, Sesquilé and Zipaquirá where you will find a salt cathedral, important tourist attraction and first wonder of Colombia. In Manaure, department of Guajira, is located the largest open-pit mine in the world.
- In Ecuador you get salt from the Pacific Ocean, which bathes the main coastal beaches; you get mainly from the beach of Salinas. Ecuador is the fifth largest salt producer in South America.
- In Mexico, salt is produced in Guerrero Negro (Baja California Sur) and in Yucatan.
- In Peru salt is produced in Maras in Cusco, which is a very high-quality red salt, since it has scarring, deflaming properties and is conducive to regulating blood pressure thanks to its low concentration of sodium chloride.
- In Venezuela salt is produced in Araya, Sucre State, and in Los Olivitos, Zulia State.
In Asia
In Asia, the largest producer of salt is China. China had some areas that were traditionally producers, such as Zhongba. The production of salted meats in China is very traditional, an example is jinhua ham (popular in the city of Jinhua). India owns in Punjab, in Gujarat, as well as in the Rann of Kutch. In Vietnam there are sea salt flats in Nha Trang. In Nepal in the Kagbeni plain (in the vicinity of the Gandaki river). In the province of Samut Sakhon in Thailand. In Japan, the use of salt is very low due to the almost non-existence of salt mines and the impossibility, due to the humid climate, of installing salt pans in the coastal regions. This deficiency means that its gastronomy does not have a large number of saline uses, not However, it is a large importer of salt and one of the first to apply artificial methods of vacuum evaporation. The Mongols have used salt since time immemorial, they have immovable lakes of great salinity in their area, which allows them to supply their cattle and their people with a sufficient amount of salt. A salty tea made with ground salt rocks is traditional in that area.
In Africa
In Africa, iodized salt is very necessary due to the large population affected by diseases caused by iodine deficiency. There is the paradox that few producers iodize salt due to the costs that this entails. It can be said that the largest producers are Senegal and Ghana (Gomoa). In Sudan (where it is consumed along with tobacco). Other producers are Ethiopia and Katanga. The salty deserts called sebkha (in Arabic سبخة ‘salt plain’) are centers of salt collection and processing on this continent. Salt mining is one of the main industries in Botswana and Kenya. Some historic centers of salt trade are N'Guigmi.
World production
The world's sources of salt are virtually inexhaustible. The salt contained in the oceans is very large. In 2007, around 250 million tons of salt were produced in the world. The world's largest producer of salt is China with about 56 million tons of production followed by the United States (including Puerto Rico) with about 43.8 million tons. China has been the largest producer for a decade, before it was the United States. In Europe, the largest producer is Germany with 18 million tons, Spain produces 3.9 million tons of salt. In South America, the largest producer is Brazil with 7 million tons, followed by Chile with 6 million. Estimates from the US Department of the Interior show that global salt production is declining so far this XXI and that in the same way there are no substitutes for salt at reasonable prices.
World salt production between 1986 and 1996 experienced an increase of approximately 70 million tons, that is, an increase of 57.6%. The United States, China, Canada and Germany account for 47% of world production. Growth is correlated with population growth in the world. Approximately half of the world's salt production comes from maritime salt pans and the rest from mining. In some countries, mining can account for almost 90%, as is the case in the United States.
| Main salt producers (2019) (millions of tons) | |
|---|---|
China China | 59.0 |
 United States | 42,0 |
 India | 29,0 |
Germany Germany | 14,3 |
.svg){kind=small} Australia | 13.0 |
Canada Canada | 11,0 |
Chile Chile | 10,0 |
Mexico Mexico | 9.0 |
Brazil Brazil | 7.4 |
Russia Russia | 6.7 |
Source
Food
Salt can be used in food for two different purposes: on the one hand, its ability to enhance certain flavors makes it a very common condiment, and on the other hand, its ability to preserve food makes it suitable for preparing salted meats. and pickles. The use of salt in food focuses on these two activities. Many of the foods have etymologies reminiscent of salt as one of the base ingredients, examples of which are: salads, sausages (from the Latin salsus: 'in salt') and sauces, salmorejo, etc. The use of salt in the elaboration of certain foods has been decreasing since the XVIII century, this statement can be verified in the books of recipes where you can see an 'excessive' of salt for today's tastes. The Spanish chef Ferran Adrià Acosta will prepare various salty flavors with the aroma of the sea to garnish some of the dishes.
Research has been carried out on the consumption of salt in Western humans, and it has been found that 10% of the salt that is ingested comes naturally from food, 15% comes from what is added during the home preparation of food and 75% comes from what the food industries add in food processing. These studies show that an average Briton at the end of the XX century consumed around 10g of salt (in more detail 10.7 grams of salt in a man and 8 g for women). These data indicate that a low-salt diet should be regulated mainly when buying products, in addition to reducing their amount during cooking. It has been proven that low-salt diets are poor in flavors, and can even affect aromas.
Salt when consumed induces a greater appetite for food, this effect is sometimes used by the food industry and sometimes includes a high salt content in food in order to consume more. In any case, salt has advantages in food processing: it is cheap, enhances flavors, eliminates acid flavors, extends the life of food, makes it weigh more as it retains moisture. Some authors have investigated animal preference for salt from an endocrine basis. One of the hormonal systems for the regulation of sodium in the body is angiotensin, it has been shown that this hormone is capable of regulating the sensation of thirst, it is known that this hormone can influence the psychological preference for salt. There are cases investigated in which a hormonal treatment (by means of adrenomedullin called ADM) can reduce the appetite for salt.
The innate appetite of animals (including man) for salt has aroused numerous investigations about the effect and preferences for salty taste, it seems that newborns do not seem to distinguish salty taste and it is not until after four months from birth when they begin to distinguish it. In the same way, it is known that the dependence on salt decreases if its consumption is reduced, this dependence effect lasts only a couple of weeks and later people get used to a low-salt diet. The appetite for salt may have a climatic dependency, for example, people living in cold climates may have a greater presence in their local cuisines due to foods with a strong salty taste.
Uses as seasoning
It is possibly the oldest and most widely used additive in food, and one of the main pillars of cooking in almost every culture in the world. From a culinary point of view, some Western cultures believe that the taste of salt is usually reduced by sweet-tasting foods. Under this aspect, some foods are served in sweet-salty combinations, such as some snacks to which a considerable amount of salt has been added. One of the gastronomies that best understand these variations and mixtures of salty-sweet is Swedish cuisine where there is a special word to describe this flavor that is a mixture of both: sockersaltad (used in the description of some preparations). Even the same product is salted in different ways, for example caviar has a higher salt content if it comes from Russia than if it comes from Iran. Some products that in theory should not be salted to be preserved are usually salt in some areas of the earth, an example is butter that is usually salted in northern European countries, while in other places it remains made without salt.
Some culinary authors mention that the art of cooking is, perhaps, being able to know with certainty when salt should be applied to food, knowing the exact proportion and the most advisable salt depending on the circumstances. in this regard there are experts in salt: selmelier. In some culinary cultures such as the Japanese, food is usually salted before being cooked, not only to season it, but so that it can preserve its texture during cooking. The usefulness of salt as one of the ingredients in many of the sauces (a word derived from salt) means that it even bears its name, as is the case with Salt & vinegar (sauce of the popular fish and chips) of English cuisine. In Asian kitchens there are certain condiments that substitute for salt, such as: soy sauce, fish sauce (garum from the Romans), oyster sauce.
Another ingredient that uses relatively amounts of salt as an ingredient during its preparation is some varieties of bread. It is used as an ingredient in confectionery due to its flavor-reinforcing effect, especially for sweets, and it is for this reason that it is found in small doses in cake batters. He is employed in the soft drink industry.
Uses as a preservative
The discovery of salt as a preservative could very well have been made by chance when it was observed that a food left in the salt pan lasted longer than one left in the air. It is very possible that observations of this type gave rise to the preparation of salted foods such as salted meat and its by-products (such as sausages, hams, salami, etc.). Salting allowed perishable foods to be taken to distant places, as is the case with fish, which, thanks to salting, can be consumed in places far from the coast where they are caught. The salted fish market has been a profitable business throughout human history until the advent of refrigeration systems (see: History of salt). In the case of canned vegetables, saline solutions are used with the intention of preserving the original colors of the plant.
Many foods have a high salt content due to their treatments in the form of salting with the aim of curing and this treatment gives a character of its own to certain foods, such is the case of caviar that can be found in Slavic countries, cod in salting so typical of Atlantic cultures like herring, anchovies, sardines. Some culinary cultures such as Chinese cuisine have egg-based salting such as salted duck eggs or the popular centenary egg. In some cases they even mix the salt with different species so that the curing of the food has a final aromatic flavor. In the same way, some foods are made with large amounts of salt to increase their durability and to prolong their usefulness as food, examples are ham (typical of the Iberian Peninsula, especially in Spain, and very popular in other preparations in cultures of origin Celtic) and cheese.
The mission of salting is to dry out the food until the activity of the bacteria responsible for the decomposition of the food ceases. Sodium and chlorine ions cause cell membranes to stop biological processes, including putrefaction. One of the foods that uses large amounts of salt is instant soups or broth cubes (with salt contents that can exceed 3% by weight). Other similar salts used in the preservation of meats since the XIX century are potassium nitrate (KNO3) which also has the property of giving a bright red color to the meat fibers, this type of preservative is widely used in ham. Potassium nitrate is sometimes also called " nitro salt".
The need for salt to make cheese is famous throughout the world. It is a dairy product that has the ability to last over time due to its saline concentration, among other properties. The concentration required to preserve the cheese is approximately 2% of its own weight (this amount may vary according to customs and places). In the case of cooking vegetables, salt makes their colors brighter.
Industrial uses
Approximately 60% of world production is dedicated to industrial applications, mainly in the production of synthetic sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and chlorine, used in the chemical industry. Human consumption represents only 25%.
The global demand for salt for this type of process has been growing since the industrial revolution, in some cases the use of salt to generate chlorine has decreased due to fears of dioxin generation as by-products. It is used in the preparation of brackish water for fish tanks. There are branches of agriculture that are dedicated to measuring biosalinity (existing salt in farmland).
In livestock, salt is used to make up for the lack of chlorine and sodium in the diet of cattle and sheep, which lick salt in blocks that are placed along the meadows. They can also be supplied mixed with other minerals.
Everyday Jobs
Salt is used in fields other than food. One of the most common in places with cold climates is the application on roads, streets and pavements to melt snow and prevent the formation of ice. This practice frequently changes the salinization of the soil, causing serious disturbances to the environment.
In the days of ancient ice cream makers, salt was used to insulate the refrigerating conditions necessary to make ice cream edible for as long as possible. It is sometimes used as a stain remover to remove certain stains from clothing, to clean copper cutlery, to maintain the embers of a fire, in containers it removes odors, it restores sponges when bathed in brine, etc. In ancient times it became common to use salt in combination with other substances such as toothpaste, something that continues to happen today with some brands that sell toothpastes made from natural ingredients.
Another of the applications of salt is as a water softener. It is used to soften the water and thus avoid the incrustations of mineral salts in the pipes and drinking water tanks. It is used in the paper and leather manufacturing industry (in tanning processes). The salt is used in the soap and detergent manufacturing industry. It is extensively used in the livestock industry applied to feed certain species such as cows, pigs, horses, etc. It is sometimes used in the preparation of antifreeze brines. Salt has been used since the 1980s in the ecological system of saline chlorination of water by electrolysis, making it possible to disinfect and maintain the cleanliness of swimming pool water without adding chlorine. In interior decoration, there are lamps made with salt.
In the 1920s, the American Diamond Crystal Salt Company of Michigan published a brochure describing almost a hundred possible uses for salt.
Chemical industry
Salt is a source of chlorine that provides the chemical industry with this element in large quantities. An example is its use in the production of plastic called: PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). It is used as an additive in the formation of certain ceramics. The chemical industry uses the salt in the preparation of other derived salts such as calcium hypochlorite (Ca(ClO)2), chlorine dioxide (ClO2), chlorate sodium (NaClO3), sodium fluorsilicate (Na2SiF6), sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), sodium perchlorate (NaClO4 •H2O). It is evident that salt is one of the most widely used compounds in obtaining gaseous chlorine and metallic sodium. In the pharmaceutical industry it is used in the preparation of infusions, drugs and clinical serums. It is frequently used in electrolysis in so-called salt bridges. It is sometimes used as a mordant in the textile industry.
Medicinal uses
It is usually used in SPAs and spas, dissolved in bathrooms (bath salts). It is also often used to make homemade foot baths. The salt is used to detach attached leeches.
Ritual uses
Ritual uses that involve salt are very common in many cultures, it is true that most of the cases the use of salt is related in these rituals with the idea of "purity" or "disinfection" or "barrier against evil". Its role throughout history has given it an almost sacred character and full of symbolism (Lot's wife became a "statue of salt"). As a general rule, the evil spirits of the different cultures of the earth "hate" salt, in Japan the stage of the theater is sprinkled with salt before the performance begins to avoid the evil actions of the spirits. In the same way the Jews believe that salt protects them from the eye of the devil. On some occasions salt has been put on the tongue of newborns before baptism to protect them (the book of Hezekiah mentions this aspect). Salt participates in the Tridentine mass (ritual mass of the Roman rite of the Catholic Church). In Scotland salt is part of some funeral rites. It is usually used in a branch of clairvoyance that uses salt and is called halomancy. This settlement was channeling the salt market in the area in subsequent years.
In certain Asian cultures such as Japan, salt is often used in rituals to purify people and places, as can be seen in the practice of Shintoism. This detail of purification can be seen in the practitioners of the contact sport called sumo, where the contestants use salt to purify and expel evil spirits before the fight. Many of the ritual applications may come from alchemy where it had a special symbol: a circle with a diameter that ran through it.
Health
Although it is important to consume salt, since without it the delicate balance of water in the body is disturbed when disorders such as hyponatremia develop, since the beginning of the century XX attempts have been made to reduce the salt content that a person should consume in a day, the problem is that the minimum levels considered are easily exceeded without adding salt to the food. It is known that almost 75% of processed foods already contain salt in them, this makes it difficult to reduce the daily amount of salt without the participation and awareness of the food industry as well as consumers.
Need for salt in life
In 1684, chemist Robert Boyle was the first scientist to define the "salty taste" in some bodily fluids such as blood, sweat or even tears. He determined the salt concentration by evaporating the samples and checking for salt crystals in the ashes. Almost a century later H. M. Rouelle in 1776 isolated some urea crystals in the urine. The chemist J. Berzelius shows that salt is concentrated in certain parts of the body such as the abdominal cavities, around the lungs, heart and brain. Sodium is the sixth most abundant element on earth, it can be said that due to its extreme reactivity it is very rare to find it in its pure state (it reacts very violently with water). This abundance allows it to be a vital element in the development of certain biological chemical reactions that support life, the favorable effect of saline solutions on the dissolution of nutrients is known. The dissolution of salt in the fluids of a living being is called salinity, while its maximum tolerance is halotolerance.
In the XX century, the botanist Bunge made the observation that carnivorous animals hardly need to consume salt, while that herbivores did have that need. Bunge was able to make this observation after the many trips he made around the world, verifying that herbivores excrete three to four times more salt than carnivores. In the same way, among his studies on salt, he was able to observe that female rats consumed more salt during reproductive periods. These observations made it possible to define the animals as "hungry for salt" beings. In some cases it has been found that the coprophagy of some species is a need to ingest salt, as is the case of monkeys that ingest horse feces due to its salt content. The tendency of some organisms to ingest salt is called halophily. Some bacteria have shown great resistance to living in environments with a high saline index and for this reason a category has been created for them in biology: halobacteria.
The body maintains a homeostasis of salt concentration in certain fluids through osmoregulation activities (thanks to the sodium channels of some cells). In this way, when salt intake is deficient, or the sodium concentration in fluids is less than 140 millimol per liter of blood plasma, the brain sends emergency signals to the kidneys to reduce excretion through urine. The operation of regulating the concentration of salt in the fluids is done by antidiuretic hormone (ADH) as well as by aldosterone (which controls the amount of sodium in the blood). It is common that when salt intake is stopped (or decreased), the body tends to eliminate liquids in order to restore the salt concentration in body fluids and this effect can end in induced dehydration, it is for this reason that that people who are exposed to hot environments (such as crossing a desert) ingest small amounts of salt to avoid excessive sweating.
There are, however, other sources of sodium that can replace salt in human nutrition, such as chemical yeasts, monosodium glutamate, sodium bicarbonate, etc. Sometimes some foods add sodium to our diets, such as milk.
Daily dose of salt
In the current common globalized diet, foods already have enough salt (eg: in patés, chips, french fries etc.) so it is usual to abuse it, sometimes ingesting more than 5 g per day, when the recommended amount is 2 or 3 g/day, only in moments of great dehydration due to perspiration and diuresis as can occur on very warm days (equal to or more than 30 °C) or after intense exercise in which many sodium catabolites can be lost through perspiration, a salt intake that exceeds 6 may be recommended. g; although in practically all cases the consumption of salt is contraindicated for people with hypertension or renal deficiencies. Medical regimens often include foods low in salt and vegetarians often have a low intake of it. The problem is that the single intake of certain foods already exceeds the minimum amount necessary daily without being seasoned with salt on purpose. Another disease related to salt consumption is fibrous cystitis.
Red meat eaters already ingest the minimum amount of salt required on a daily basis since meat often contains salts between the fibers. It is for this reason that carnivorous animals already exceed the minimum dose of salt required with their diet. The saline solution required for the preparation and preservation of certain foods depends on their nature; For example, in cheese and butter about 2% of their weight is used in salt, in meat 6% is used and in fish up to 20%. The use of salt in salting has the mission of drying out the food until the bacteria responsible for putrefaction cease or decrease their activity, which translates into a longer life for the food. Salt is used in certain communities such as the Jewish one in drying meat, for this there is a law called kashrut that does not allow a meat food to be cured with its own blood (the same blood is not allowed as food), for this it is use kosher salt as a desiccant.
Benefits
The necessary element in salt is sodium, very useful in maintaining blood pressure and extracellular fluids. Salt deficiency is a very rare deficiency nowadays since salt in food is almost omnipresent, as a rule it leads to the presence of other health problems that affect the absorption of sodium in the stomach. The salt that an adult contains can be transformed into approximately a quarter of a kilo. Until the middle of the XX century, it was very laborious to almost instantaneously measure the concentration of sodium in body fluids, the appearance of new Instrumentation made it possible to do an analysis in a relatively short time (five minutes). One of the best known tests to find out the concentration of salt in the blood is the Fantus test.
Harmful consumption
The total absence of salt in the diet is detrimental to health; a small dose of salt is necessary to maintain certain activities of the organism such as respiration and digestion. Salt deficiency generates a sodium deficiency in the body called hyponatremia. Sodium deficiency causes the patient to have symptoms of listlessness, weakness, fainting, anorexia, low blood pressure, circulatory collapse, shock, and eventually death.
Doctor William Osler observed in cholera patients about the physiological effects of salt deficiency. Some authors have investigated sodium deficiency in men, especially in soldiers during World War II.
It is known that salt in contact with the skin can cause irritation and heating it to high temperatures can cause vapors that irritate the eyes. At very high temperatures it oxidizes, emitting a toxic gas, sodium dioxide (NaO2). Consumed in large quantities causes stomach irritation.
Consumption of high amounts of sodium is not always related to salt consumption, for example in some countries monosodium glutamate is used as a flavoring and generates dangerous excesses of sodium in the body (see: Chinese restaurant syndrome ).
Some of the excessive consumption was studied in concentration camps such as Dachau during Nazi Germany. The experiments began in August 1944 and continued two months later. The experiments consisted of dividing four groups into saline intakes of different concentrations. The object of the experiment was to determine the effects on human metabolism. It was possible to determine that death occurred after 12 days, being able to demonstrate that it is better for survival to ingest small amounts of seawater than not to consume water.
There is a belief that salt makes you fat, although it is not true at all because salt does not provide calories. However, it is true that with an excess of salt the osmolarity of the blood increases and causes thirst, for which reason water is drunk to restore the salt balance of the body. By accumulating water, the body increases its weight. Oral ingestion of concentrations approaching 12,357 mg per kg of body weight are considered lethal by some medical organizations (this makes a 50-kg person potentially intoxicated if they ingest approximately 600 g of salt at one time). Consumption below the dose described as minimum produces weight loss, reduces the emission of gastric juices, affects the composition of sweat (decreases its salinity) and increases the concentration of potassium in certain body fluids such as saliva.
In 1994, the COMA (Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy, the Committee for the Surveillance of Nutritional Aspects of Food) recommended reducing the daily dose of salt to 6 g of the world population. In his report he mentions the harmful effects and impacts that excessive salt intake has on the appearance of cardiovascular diseases. This recommendation is based on the currently existing evidence on salt consumption and the appearance of hypertension. In 2003 the SACN (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition: Nutrition Advisory Committee) in its report on "salt and health" reviews the COMA data and considers the numbers calculated in 1994 still valid from a nutritional point of view.
Some clinical studies carried out in certain Asian countries have shown the appearance of cancers in the digestive system, the most pronounced being stomach cancer. Some pathologies such as Ménière's disease may be caused by an exacerbated consumption of salt in the food. While salt intake may be part of the pathological goal of the eating disorder of pica disease.
Environmental impact
The use of salt in the de-icing of roads and city streets when there is snowfall is used because it reduces the freezing point to -15 °C, which prevents the formation of ice with the consequent risk of accidents. This practice is gradually being phased out as it causes serious environmental problems by changing the chemical properties of crop soils.
Types of salt
There are various types of salt depending on different parameters such as: geographical origin, origin (sea salt or salt mine), the treatment provided before being offered to the consumer and the additives it has (artificial or natural). All these types of salt fundamentally obey local tastes and cause them to be used in different ways depending on the type. The types can be described based on their production (evaporated, marine, mining), their trace element content (magnesium, calcium, etc.), the additives used (spices, flavors, etc.), their texture (thick, smooth as a snowflake, etc.), etc.
Refined salt
The refining process provides white grains of salt that tends to attract the average consumer more, it can be said that it consists of almost a pure proportion of NaCl (99.9%), this process is done at the expense of the final quality of the food. To obtain this effect, anti-caking agents or iodine are usually added, as well as certain fluorine compounds. Refined salt is mainly used in human food. Anti-caking agents are added to the refined salt to prevent the formation of "lumps" During storage, the most common anti-caking agents are phosphates, as well as calcium or magnesium carbonates. Refined salt is usually packed in 1000g or 500g packets ready to be distributed in supermarkets (it is a typical product in grocery stores). The "unrefined" They are called sel gris (gray salt) due to their greyish color, they are characterized by offering more ocher flavors on the palate (sometimes desirable in the preparation of certain foods).
Table salt
Table salt has a lower degree of refinement and can reach a concentration of 95% by weight in sodium chloride. This type of salt is used mainly in food and is usually found in the salt shakers that are on the food tables (hence its name: table salt ), it is usually accompanied by salt shaker-shaped dispensers They contain black pepper. One of the companies that began to offer table salt in the mid-XX century was Morton's in the United States in a very common format today, this company put a slogan on their packages that still lives on today: a girl under an umbrella carries a sack of salt that opens on one side and lets the salt fall like a trickle, a sign reads: “When it rains it pours” (when it rains it pours). This slogan offered the public the possibility of using for the first time a homogeneous crystalline salt that did not clump together in humid environments.
Table salt has always been a salt that has had anti-caking agents (just like refined salt), so that it can flow better in the salt shakers and can be poured from the holes in it. Some home remedies allow you to put grains of rice inside the salt shaker so that it can be poured better and absorbs moisture.
Table salt has a particle density of 2.165 g/cm³, and a bulk density of 1.154 g/cm³.
Variants
There are different denominations of salt throughout the world, and the differences in flavors that these salts provide may be due to the local presence of certain trace elements that give it a characteristic flavor. On other occasions, the method of harvesting makes it possible to modify the texture of the salts and make them more attractive to the consumer. Be that as it may, there are several varieties such as:
- Sal 79 Au: They are pure and valuable natural salt flower crystals with 24 carat gold its texture is soft all a luxury consuming dishes made with gold gives the comensal a status of glamur privilege, is considered the exclusive salt of the world.
- Sea salt: is the salt extracted from the "integral" marine water in salins by evaporation. marine salt has 86% sodium chloride (NaCl) and traces of trace elements such as calcium, magnesium chloride, potassium, iodine and manganese.
- Salt flower: originates in salinas in the first moments of salt concentration, being fine crystals floating on plates on the surface of the water. It is not refined and therefore has more proportion of natural iodine and trace elements. Their production is very scarce and appreciated. It is usually of greater value than other salts because it is collected in an artisanal way.
- Maldon salt: produced in England, is produced by cooking sea water. It is of great purity and appears as fine plates in its natural state.
- Sal guerande: marine salt of French Brittany. It is an artisanal and unrefined salt, grey and medium size. Very rich in trace elements.
- Black salt: unrefined salt produced in India (there is also gray salt).
- Smoked salt: it is a salt used as a seasoning because it has a strong smell of smoke. This salt is used mainly in the kitchen to give at the same time salty taste and a humid smell, which is why it is also used as a spice. It is a very common ingredient in the dishes of the cuisine of Wales, Denmark and Korea.
- Monosodic glutamate salt: it was extracted from algae and wheat. Make the taste of food.
- Kosher salt: it is a pure salt (without chemical added) that is traditionally used by Jews for the salt of some kosher foods (i.e. permitted by Jewish tradition). It is usually used in kitchen because of the ease of being dispensed by hand.
- Salt of celery: it is a salt used as a condiment of food and dishes. It is made with a mixture of salt and crushed celery seeds (sometimes it is also added ground dry garlic).
- Gomashio: a mixture of salt and sesame seeds very typical of Japanese cuisine.
- Halen Môn: 100% natural sea salt from Wales coasts.
- Halita: Gem salt or rock salt.
- Himalayen: salt of pink tones that is presented in large rocks (usually to be pulverized with a mill), mineral salt originating from the Himalayan mountains.
- Flor de Sal del Trench: flower of salt originating from the salts of the south of Mallorca.
- Camargue: from the salts of the Bouches Du Rhône.
- Herbamare: mix of various types of salt with aromatic herbs and spices that burn the salt and deactivate it by improving its assimilation.
- Morton salt: lower salt in sodium, is a mixture of common salt (NaCl) with potassium chloride (KCl). Morton is a pioneer commercial brand to convert salt into a functional food by adding iodine.
- iodized salt: it is a mixture of common salt (NaCl) with sodium iodide (NaI).
- English salt: Fantasy name for magnesium sulfate.
Symbolisms and beliefs
One of the greatest researchers into the symbolism of salt in different cultures was the Welsh psychologist Ernest Jones, a friend of Sigmund Freud, who in 1912 wrote an essay on the human obsession with salt. He conducted a study on the association between salt and fertility. He explains many reasons why it appears linked to religious and magical celebrations. As an example of fertility, it is worth mentioning that in the Roman Empire men in love were called salax ("in a salty state& #34;), which gives rise to the English word salacious. In the Pyrenees, salt is usually put in the pockets of the couple to avoid erectile dysfunction. In some parts of Germany the bride's shoes are sprinkled with salt to activate the reproductive function.
During the Middle Ages in France, as in China, it was believed that a menstruating woman stopped fermentation processes.[citation needed] For this reason for which in French a menstruating woman is called en salaison (cured in salt).[citation needed] It was believed that that the presence of a menstruating woman in a room with fermenting food was enough to stop the fermentation.[citation needed]
In Hinduism, Dhanvantari —avatar of the god Vishnu— is closely related to salt, since he would have been the one who discovered its preservative properties.
Offerings used to be made with salt, which is why in the Leviticus of the Old Testament it is said: "And you shall season every offering that you present with salt, and you shall never make your offering lack the salt of the covenant of your God; in every offering of yours you shall offer salt". In the New Testament, In Matthew 5:13 Jesus is the one who tells us " St. Matthew 5:13 [13] You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt vanishes, with what will it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men."
In the Rastafarian movement, dietary regulations on foods called ital avoid the use of salt.
In Slavic cultures, such as Russia, salt was offered together with bread (see bread and salt), as a gesture of hospitality.
There is a superstition that throwing salt on the ground is believed to bring bad luck.
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