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| 1. |
Why common salt is used to preserve certain foods? |
| Answer» Common salt (Sodium chloride) produces high osmotic pressure when dissolved in water. Hypertionic solution results plasmolysis in the cells of many microorganisms. Presence of excess, salt also causes- (i) Dehydration of food, (ii) Dehydration of moicroganisms, (iii) Releases disinfecting chlorine in the medium (iv) Reduces solubility of oxygen in the medium, (v) Sensitizes microbial cells against `CO_(2)`, and (vi) Interfers with the action of proteolytic enzymes. Therefore, common salt is widely used to preserve certain foods. | |