Why does salt draw out water? (What is osmosis)
By
Dr Rafael Frascino Cassaro (PhD)
| Reviewed by
Dr Anny Manrich (PhD)
The contents of this article are fact-based except otherwise stated within the article.
Author bio
Dr Rafael Frascino Cassaro PhD is a Chemist with expertise in Food Technology, extraction of essential oils from food sources, organocatalysis, extraction by supercritical CO2 and organic chemistry. He writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Rafael Frascino Cassaro’s Highlights:
- PIPE-FAPESP Project Coordinator for the company Bioativos Naturais Ltda involving the extraction of essential oils from food sources, with supercritical CO2.
- PhD in Chemistry with research in supercritical fluid reactivity.
- Bachelor of Environmental Chemistry at University of São Paulo State (UNESP)/Brazil
Professional Experience:
Dr Rafael Frascino Cassaro’s Experience:
Dr Rafael coordinated a PIPE-FAPESP Project (Company Research and Innovation Project) for the company Bioativos Naturais Ltda, involving the extraction of essential oils with supercritical CO2 from food sources such as turmeric, ginger, hops, orange bagasse, pepper rose, cupuaçu pie, among others.
Dr Rafael has worked on a project, involving studies of the influence of pre-treatment on the recovery of crude food extracts by extraction with supercritical CO2 (Supercritical Fluid Extraction or SFE) and with pressurized liquids (ethanol and water) for food sources, aimed at obtaining oleoresins; determination of global yield and chemical composition of crude extracts. As a postdoctoral fellow for the Food Engineering department at the University of Campinas/Brazil
Dr Rafael Frascino Cassaro has worked as a substitute Professor at the University of São Paulo State (UNESP) on General Chemistry and Thermodynamics II disciplines for the Food Engineering course.
Education:
- 2009 Bachelor in Environmental Chemistry at the State University of São Paulo, Brazil
- 2015 PhD in Chemistry with research in supercritical fluid reactivity University of São Paulo, Brazil
- 2017 Post Doctoral in Food Engineering Research: Influence of Biomass Pre-Treatment on Supercritical CO2 Extraction: Preservation of High Added Value Assets and Reduction of Process Costs at the State University of Campinas, Brazil
The main publications of Dr Rafael Frascino Cassaro are:
RC Bazito, RF CASSARO, LC OLIVEIRA, RA Gariani, CAO Nascimento. (2013). Proline derivatives as organocatalysts for the aldol reaction in conventional and non-conventional reaction media. Green Processing and Synthesis 2, 43-50
TS Bastos, SB Rodriguez Reartes, MS Zabaloy, RF Cassaro, RC Bazito. (2019).Phase Behavior for the System Carbon Dioxide plus p-Nitrobenzaldehyde: Experimental and Modeling JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING DATA 64 (5), 2116-2125
GH Sakae, LM Takata, AS Paulino, RC Bazito, RF Cassaro, C Princival, .(2013). A high enantioselective Proline-based helical polymer catalyst for aldol type reaction. Blucher Chemistry Proceedings 1 (2), 214-214
You can view some of Dr Rafael’s work below and links to his professional profile.
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rafael-Cassaro-2
Fapesp: https://bv.fapesp.br/pt/pesquisador/680718/rafael-frascino-cassaro/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ToO7HIcAAAAJ&hl=en
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-frascino-cassaro-4a156a37/?originalSubdomain=br
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3729-2858
Reviewer bio
Dr Anny Manrich PhD is a food Engineer with expertise in Food Technology, Natural Polymers, Edible Films, Enzymes, and Nanotechnology. She writes and reviews content on these topics.
Dr Anny Manrich’s Highlights:
- Research and Technology at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
- PhD in Chemical Engineering with a focus on Biochemistry at the Federal University of Sao Carlos/ Brazil and a one-year scholarship at the Technical University of Munich/ Germany
- Bachelor of Food Engineering at the University of Campinas/ Brazil and a one-year scholarship at the Technical University of Munich/ Germany
“To solve a problem, global vision and multifactorial understanding are necessary. Therefore, in addition to expertise, one should seek multidisciplinary thinking connected with science and reality” – Dr Anny Manrich, PhD.
Professional Experience:
Dr Anny Manrich’s Experience Joining the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, as soon as she completed her doctorate,
Dr Anny Manrich has worked on several projects, including the more than three-year partnership project with BRF, a major food producer in Brazil. As a postdoctoral fellow.
Dr Anny Manrich has also contributed to several business consultancies and research projects of the National Nanotechnology Laboratory System in areas such as food technology, fibres, films and coatings and Nanotechnology; in a very determined way, having a great team relationship, being creative and committed.
Growing concerns about the safe introduction of nanomaterials into today’s life emphasises the need to create regulatory documentation in front of characterising, using and testing them. Dr Anny Manrich worked for two years on a characterization project for nanoscale materials, with the aim of exploring their possible health effects.
Despite not having specific academic training in packaging or polymeric films, Dr Anny Manrich works at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation in areas of edible and biodegradable films produced from agricultural waste and in the development of films with greater resistance to water, having articles published in renowned scientific journals, which demonstrates her multidisciplinary understanding and creativity.
In addition, she worked for four years as a consultant to a food company to develop a line of snacks that are healthy and that add functional ingredients, physiologically active compounds that bring health benefits, made from fruits and vegetables, enabling diet improvement, disease prevention and reduction of nutritional deficiencies.
Dr Anny Manrich participated as a member of the examination board for two Master’s exams and one PhD exam at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Federal University of São Carlos.
Education:
- 2001 Bachelor in Food Engineering at the State University of Campinas, Brazil
- 1999 One year scholarship at the Technical University of Munich
- 2004 Master in Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil
- 2012 PhD in Chemical Engineering at the Federal University of São Carlos, Brazil
- 2010 One year scholarship at the Technical University of Munich
The main publications of Dr. Anny Manrich are:
Articles
Manrich, A., Moreira, F. K., Otoni, C. G., Lorevice, M. V., Martins, M. A., & Mattoso, L. H. (2017). Hydrophobic edible films made up of tomato cutin and pectin. Carbohydrate Polymers, 164, 83-91.
Mendes, J. F., Norcino, L. B., Martins, H. H. A., Manrich, A., Otoni, C. G., Carvalho, E. E. N., … & Mattoso, L. H. C. (2020). Correlating emulsion characteristics with the properties of active starch films loaded with lemongrass essential oil. Food Hydrocolloids, 100, 105428.
Norcino, L. B., Mendes, J. F., Natarelli, C. V. L., Manrich, A., Oliveira, J. E., & Mattoso, L. H. C. (2020). Pectin films loaded with copaiba oil nanoemulsions for potential use as bio-based active packaging. Food Hydrocolloids, 106, 105862.
Manrich, Anny, et al. Immobilization of trypsin on chitosan gels: Use of different activation protocols and comparison with other supports. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 43.1 (2008): 54-61.
Manrich, Anny; Komesu, Andrea ; Adriano, Wellington Sabino; Tardioli, Paulo Waldir ; Giordano, Raquel Lima Camargo . Immobilization and Stabilization of Xylanase by Multipoint Covalent Attachment on Agarose and on Chitosan Supports. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, v. 161, p. 455-467, 2010.
Mendes, J. F., Martins, J. T., Manrich, A., Neto, A. S., Pinheiro, A. C. M., Mattoso, L. H. C., & Martins, M. A. (2019). Development and physical-chemical properties of pectin film reinforced with spent coffee grounds by continuous casting. Carbohydrate polymers, 210, 92-99..
Milessi, T. S., Kopp, W., Rojas, M. J., Manrich, A., Baptista-Neto, A., Tardioli, P. W., … & Giordano, R. L. (2016). Immobilization and stabilization of an endoxylanase from Bacillus subtilis (XynA) for xylooligosaccharides (XOs) production. Catalysis Today, 259, 130-139.
Mendes, J. F., Norcino, L. B., Manrich, A., Pinheiro, A. C. M., Oliveira, J. E., & Mattoso, L. H. C. (2020). Development, physical‐chemical properties, and photodegradation of pectin film reinforced with malt bagasse fibers by continuous casting. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 137(39), 49178.
Mendes, J. F., Martins, J. T., Manrich, A., Luchesi, B. R., Dantas, A. P. S., Vanderlei, R. M., … & Martins, M. A. (2021). Thermo-physical and mechanical characteristics of composites based on high-density polyethylene (HDPE) e spent coffee grounds (SCG). Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 29, 2888-2900..
Mendes, J. F., Norcino, L. B., Martins, H. H., Manrich, A., Otoni, C. G., Carvalho, E. E. N., … & Mattoso, L. H. C. (2021). Development of quaternary nanocomposites made up of cassava starch, cocoa butter, lemongrass essential oil nanoemulsion, and brewery spent grain fibers. Journal of Food Science, 86(5), 1979-1996.
Manrich, A., Martins, M. A., & Mattoso, L. H. C. (2021). Manufacture and performance of peanut skin cellulose nanocrystals. Scientia Agricola, 79.
Nascimento, V. M., Manrich, A., Tardioli, P. W., de Campos Giordano, R., de Moraes Rocha, G. J., & Giordano, R. D. L. C. (2016). Alkaline pretreatment for practicable production of ethanol and xylooligosaccharides. Bioethanol, 2(1)..
Manrich, Anny, de Oliveira, J. E., Martins, M. A., & Mattoso, L. H. C. Physicochemical and Thermal Characterization of the Spirulina platensis. J. Agric. Sci. Technol. B, v. 10, p. 298-307, 2020.
Book Chapter
Terra, I. A. A., Aoki, P. H., Delezuk, J. A. D. M., Martins, M. A., Manrich, A., Silva, M. J., … & Miranda, P. B. (2022). Técnicas de Caracterização de Polímeros. Nanotecnologia Aplicada a Polímeros, 614.
Conference Papers
Ferreira, L. F., Luvizaro, L. B., Manrich, A., Martins, M. A., Júnior, M. G., & Dias, M. V. (2017). Comparação da estabilidade de suspensões poliméricas de amido/tocoferol e quitosana/tocoferol. In: CONGRESSO BRASILEIRO DE POLÍMEROS, 14., 2017, Águas de Lindóia, SP.
Manrich, A., Hubinger, S. Z., & Paris, E. C. (2017). Citotoxicidade causada por nanomateriais: avaliação do micronúcleo. In: WORKSHOP DA REDE DE NANOTECNOLOGIA APLICADA AO AGRONEGÓCIO, 9., 2017, São Carlos. Anais… São Carlos: Embrapa Instrumentação, 2017. p. 655-658.
Manrich, Anny, et al. Immobilization and Stabilization of Xylanase by multipoint covalent attachment on Glyoxyl Agarose Support. The 31st Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. 2009.
Manrich, Anny, et al. Application of immobilized xylanase on hydrolysis of soluble wood hemicelluloses after using microwave and organosolv pre-treatments. The 32nd Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals. 2010.
You can view some of Dr Anny’s work below and links to her professional profile.
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anny-Manrich-2
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=23103497100
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Ea9qpr0AAAAJ
Linkedin: https://br.linkedin.com/in/anny-manrich-20693129
In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “why does salt draw out water” with an in-depth analysis of the reason why salt draws out water from different foods. Moreover, we are going to discuss the difference between curing, brining, and marinating.
So without much ado, let’s dive in and figure out more about it.
Why does salt draw out water?
So the real reason behind the property of salt to draw out water from different foods is “osmosis”.
Meat
In the case of meat, when we do the curing process to preserve the meat for quite a long, what we do is, apply salt in a generous amount on the meat and leave it. After some time the salt draws out the water from the meat, thereby making it dry.
So what happens during this process is that after applying salt on the meat, the outside of the meat becomes hypertonic and has a higher concentration of salt present at outside as compared to inside the cells of the meat. Therefore the water tends to move from the point of lower solute concentration (cells of meat) to the point of higher solute concentration (outside the meat). Thus salt draws out water from different food items.
Vegetables
In the case of vegetables, if you add salt to them the same osmosis process sets in as the cells of the vegetables have lower salt concentration as compared to the outside. Therefore the water drives out of the vegetables thereby making the vegetables all soggy and they won’t have their characteristic crunch in them anymore.
What is osmosis?
Osmosis is the process in which the solvent moves from a point of lower solute concentration to a point of higher solute concentration. The process of osmosis maintains the solute-solvent balance throughout the semi-permeable membranes and this process also plays an important role in the body of living organisms.
What is plasmolysis?
Plasmolysis is a process that takes place because of osmosis. In plasmolysis, the cell loses its water content when it is placed in a hypertonic solution (the solution having a high solute concentration). As the cell loses its water content, it shrinks.
What is curing?
Curing is the process that is used to preserve meat like chicken, turkey, beef, etc. This process is carried out by using salt which helps in driving the water out of the meat, thereby decreasing the moisture content of the meat.
You can read more about curing here.
What are the different types of curing?
There are two main types of curing
- Salting
- Nitrate / Nitrite curing
Other FAQs about Salt which you may be interested in.
What does Himalayan pink salt taste like
Does curing change the taste of the meat?
Yes, the process of curing not only dries the meat out but also changes the overall taste profile of the meat. The cured meat has a more intense flavor than regular meat.
Does curing change the texture of the meat?
Yes, curing does change the texture of the meat and makes it drier and firmer as the cured meat has lost its moisture content to a great extent.
Does drying out meat protects it against bacteria?
As we all know that bacteria and microbes need moisture and a particular temperature to grow on the meat. So the meat that is devoid of its moisture won’t provide a suitable environment for the microbes to grow onto. Therefore the bacterial growth will be halted and the meat that has been cured lasts for a very long time.
What is the difference between curing, brining, and marinating?
Curing
Curing is essentially the process that is used to preserve meat for a very long time. In curing, we coat the meat with a large amount of salt and afterward keep it aside for approximately 24 hours or more so that the water comes out of the meat, thereby drying it.
In curing the process of plasmolysis sets in. Plasmolysis is the process in which the cells lose their water content in a hypertonic solution. So when you add a lot of salt to your meat, what happens is that the cells of meat lose their water content and thereby the meat dries out.
Brining
Bringing is the process that is used to make the meat juicier and to add some extra flavor to it. In bringing we immerse the meat in the water with a little salt, and some herbs added to it.
In the case of brining, again the process of osmosis sets in, but as the outer environment is hypotonic in case of brining (salt is added in a lot of water) so instead of losing water, the cells of meat soak in the water and therefore the meat becomes juicier and tender after brining.
Marinating
Marination is the process that is done to impart different flavors in the meat. Marination is done by using some acids (lemon), salt, and different spices. The acid degrades the structure of the protein and imparts the flavor of different herbs and condiments that are added to the marination mixture.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we answered the question “why does salt draw out water” with an in-depth analysis of the reason why salt draws out water from different foods. Moreover, we discussed the difference between curing, brining, and marinating.
Citations
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-30-fo-5288-story.html
https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/apos-difference-between-marinating-curing-191000166.html
Was this helpful?
References
1.-
Fennema OR. Food chemistry. 3rd ed. New York: Marcel Dekker; 1996.
2.-
Bellona, C., Drewes, J. E., Xu, P., & Amy, G. Factors affecting the rejection of organic solutes during NF/RO treatment—a literature review. Water Research, 38(12), 2795–2809. 2004.
3.-
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake; Henney JE, Taylor CL, Boon CS, 4, Preservation and Physical Property Roles of Sodium in Foods. Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2010.
4.-
Metheny, N. A., & Krieger, M. M. Salt Toxicity: A Systematic Review and Case Reports. Journal of Emergency Nursing. 2020.
5.-
Zeece, M. Chemical properties of water and pH. Introduction to the Chemistry of Food, 1–36. 2020.
6.-
Metheny, N. A., & Krieger, M. M. Salt Toxicity: A Systematic Review and Case Reports. Journal of Emergency Nursing. 2020.
7.-
Agócs R, Sugár D, Szabó AJ. Is too much salt harmful? Yes. Pediatr Nephrol.35 (9) :1777-1785. 2020.
8.-
Grillo A, Salvi L, Coruzzi P, Salvi P, Parati G. Sodium Intake and Hypertension. Nutrients. 11(9):1970. 2019.
