Salt preserves meat by drying it out
Salt preserves meat by dehydrating it through osmosis, creating an environment too dry for bacteria to thrive, a method used for millennia before refrigeration.
For thousands of years, salt has preserved meat by drawing out moisture through a process called osmosis. When salt is applied, it creates a high-salt environment outside the meat cells, pulling water out and dehydrating it. This drastically reduces the water bacteria need to grow, preventing spoilage.
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