Eli5: If salt is used to cure and preserve food why is ocean water full of bacteria?
In: Biology
High enoug salt levels kill bacteria, The brine, water and salt mixture, you use if you what long time persevation is around 20% for fish, compare that to seawater that is around 3.5% salt. Brine can be around 26% salt by weight at room temperature, that is the level you can reach if you preserve it weet.
If you preserve meat you surround it with salt that in large part draw out water. Here is a example of how it is done, the salt remain solit around the meat [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg4OIFd5-aA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg4OIFd5-aA)When you eat it it will tase very salty, letting it rest in water to rehydrate and remobe salt is a good idea. It was in part for practical reason but alos to make it taste less of salt often cooked in a stew. Add starchy vetibles like potatoes and they will absorbe water, the contain very little salt to begin with and make the dish overall less salty.
The water removal is a important part of the reservation, jerky is dried meat that is preserved by remove the water. Bacteria need water to live, put a pice of bread in a plastic back and another on a plate out in the open. In normal indoors condition the bread out in the open will dry quickly and preserved because there is not enough water for any bacterial or fungal growth. The bread in the plastic bag will likely get mouldy. If you look at you pantry there is a lot of dry stuff there with very long shelf life, it is preserved primary because of the low water content. Mix flour and water and keep in in the open and you quicltu see growth of stuff in it
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