The chemical existence of salts in the kitchen

By salt we commonly mean table salt, which is nothing else but sodium chloride available in white powdered or granular form. However, the usage of salt is not only confined to that. Chemically speaking, salt is an ionic combination of an acid and a base, where the end product is neutral. When any molecule carries an electric charge, they are called ions. Ions having a positive charge are called cations, while the ones with a negative charge are called anions. 

Usually, cations and anions attract each other like two different magnet poles. Salts are composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions. Sodium chloride is a salt that comprises positively charged ions of sodium and negatively charged ions of chloride. Depending on the combination of ions, the properties of salt keep on differing. Our company is one of the largest producers and suppliers of edible salt manufacturers in Gujarat, which provides salts having different properties in the kitchen depending on their ionic combination.

Different properties of salt in the kitchen

• Salty

You should importantly know that all salts are not salt to taste, and they are not edible. The presence of a cation determines whether a grain of salt will be salty to taste or not. On the other hand, the anion is responsible for determining the flavor. To interact with the taste buds in our tongue, salts are first dissociated into their ionic form with the help of a liquid, either water or saliva. 

Thus, you will see that if your tongue is dry for much longer, you will not be able to figure out the salty taste of the same.

Adding salt to water can be a very safe chemical reaction most of the time. However, in their elemental state, each component of this compound becomes highly reactive. Both sodium and chlorine have strong reactions with water, but the response isn’t much when they are present as a stable compound. Being one of the famous free-flow salt manufacturers in Gujarat, our company employs experienced and knowledgeable staff who can give you all the required information about salts in their combined and free state.

Many foods contain antioxidants or vitamins, which are bitter to taste. Adding salt to foods that naturally contain these substances or are fortified with them makes the food taste much better. Hence, vegetables or any other preparation is cooked with salt.

• Defensive eating

When you consume too much salt, it leads to the occurrence of chronic conditions such as hypertension or kidney diseases. Without proper and adequate water intake, excess salt in the body disrupts processes due to excess salts concentration. Salts in food leads to the stimulation of bitter and sour receptors of taste. This is why adding salt to food enhances taste while excessive amounts disrupt the taste. This is a mechanism of defensive eating.

The level of salt tasting pleasant or unpleasant usually depends on people’s genes, which vary from individual to individual. People who consume more salt in their diet typically have an affinity towards having it more, which leads to health problems. However, such an acclimatization strategy can be used later to bring about a reduction in intake of salt.

Salt has been used as a preservative from ancient times. Do you know how? When salts is added to food, it reduces the water activity of food by soaking up moisture from foods. This creates a dry environment within the food, so bacteria or other harmful microorganisms cannot grow. Also, water draws salts from the moist cell walls of bacteria existing within food, thus killing them. Often salts is used as a flavor enhancer in food. This happens because salt suppresses the food’s sour flavors, thus allowing the pleasant flavors to dominate.

Conclusion

Knowing some of the chemical facts associated with using salt in food, you can now easily make wise and informed decisions regarding the quantity of salt to be used in food. There are many potential free-flow salt manufacturers in India, but we can assure to be the best as we maintain the quality of the salt supplied. Thus, we have created a solid and huge customer base nationwide.