[ELI5] How does salt preserve food?
In: Chemistry
Rusty microbiologist here. Not getting into details with 5yr olds, but bacteria exchange nutrients with its surroundings through its cell wall. Too much salt damages the cell wall and enters the cell thereby sort of messing up the “liquid” inside the cells and we all know too much of a good thing isn’t good at all. So bacteria go boom boom!
Those talking about leaving wounds open, some wounds are infected by anaerobic bacteria, ie, ones that DONT like air (oxygen in air). So oxygen being poisonous to them, leaving the wound open exposes them and hence help kill em faster.
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