Edible salt is a mineral, one of the few rocks people eat. There are different forms of it: unrefined salt, refined salt, table salt or iodised salt. It is a crystalline solid, white, pale pink or light grey in colour, obtained from seawater or from rock deposits. Sea salt comes in fine or larger crystals. In nature it includes not only sodium chloride, but also other vital trace minerals. Edible rock salts may be slightly greyish in colour due to trace mineral content. Salt is necessary for the survival of all living creatures, including humans. Salt is involved in regulating the water content (fluid balance) of the body. Salt flavor is one of the basic tastes. Salt cravings may be caused by trace mineral deficiencies as well as by a deficiency of sodium chloride itself. In chemistry, salt is a general term used for ionic compounds composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ... Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or halite, is a chemical compound with formula NaCl. ... Human taste sensory organs, called taste buds or gustatory calyculi, and concentrated on the upper surface of the tongue, appear to be receptive to relatively few chemical species as tastes. ...

Salt is required for life, but overconsumption can increase the risk of health problems, including high blood pressure. In food preparation, salt is used as a preservative and as a seasoning. In medicine, hypertension refers to the problem of abnormally high blood pressure. ... A preservative is a natural or synthetic chemical that is added to products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, paints, biological samples, etc. ... Seasoning is the process of adding flavours, or enhancing natural flavour of any type of food. ...

History of edible salt

For the history of salt in America, see History of salt in America.

In the past, salt was difficult to obtain, but had a great importance in food preservation and as a vital food additive. Therefore, it was a highly valued trade item throughout history. Wars were fought over it, states were formed and destroyed because of it. Over the last three millennia, salt has been a driving force behind towns, cities, and entire civilizations. ...

Roman soldiers were partially paid with salt, and this is still evident in the English language as the word salary derives from the Latin word salarium that means payment in salt (Latin sal), as well as the phrase "worth one's salt". It was also of high value to the Hebrews, Greeks and other peoples of antiquity.

During the late Roman Empire and throughout the Middle Ages salt was a precious commodity carried along the salt roads into the heartland of the Germanic tribes. Cites, states and dukedoms along the salt roads exacted heavy duties and taxes for the salt passing through their territories. This practise has caused wars, it even caused the formation of cities such as the city of Munich in 1158 when the then Duke of Bavaria Henry XII, called The Lion, decided that the bishops of Freising no longer needed their salt revenue. The gabelle–a French salt tax–was enacted in 1286 and maintained until 1790. Because of the gabelles, common salt was of such a high value that it caused mass population shifts and exodus, attracted invaders and caused wars. Roman Empire between AD 60 and 400 with major cities. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München pronunciation) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. ... Events January 11 - Vladislav II becomes King of Bohemia End of the formal reign of Emperor Go-Shirakawa of Japan, also the beginning of his cloistered rule, which will last to his death in 1192. ... The following is a list of rulers of Bavaria: Dukes of Bavaria, 889-1623 Liutpolding Dynasty Liutpold 889-907 Arnulf the Bad 907-937 Eberhard 937 Berthold 938-947 Liudolfing (Ottonian) Dynasty Henry I 947-955 Henry II the Quarrelsome 955-976 Otto I 976-982 Liutpolding Dynasty Henry III... Henry the Lion (face of statue on his tomb in Brunswick Cathedral) Henry the Lion (1129/1131 - August 6, 1195; in German, Heinrich der Löwe) was Duke of Saxony as Henry III since 1142, and Duke of Bavaria as Henry XII since 1156, both until 1180. ... The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising — known in the German language as Erzbistum München und Freising and in Latin as Archidioecesis Monacensis et Frisingensis — is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria, Germany. ... The gabelle was a very unpopular tax on salt in France before 1790. ... Events Margaret I of Scotland became queen of Scotland, end of Canmore dynasty. ... 1790 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

In the second half of the 19th century its price finally became more reasonable. The main reason for this was that it finally became possible to gain it by mining instead from the evaporation of seawater, as mining is the cheaper of the two processes. However, unrefined rock salt lacks many of the trace elements normally found in table salt, making it a poor substitute as an exclusive salt source. The deleterious health effects of the exclusive use of rock salt are similar to the effects of the total lack of salt in one's diet. Today salt is universally accessible, relatively cheap and iodized. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Forms of edible salt

Unrefined salt

Main article: Sea salt Sea salt, obtained by evaporation of sea water, is a salt used as an ingredient in cooking and in products such as cosmetics. ...

Some assert that unrefined sea salt is healthier or more 'natural' than refined salts. There are concerns, however, that raw sea or rock salts may not contain sufficient iodine salts to prevent iodine deficiency diseases like goitre. General Name, Symbol, Number iodine, I, 53 Series halogens Group, Period, Block 17 (VIIA), 5, p Density, Hardness 4940 kg/m3, no data Appearance violet-dark grey, lustrous Atomic properties Atomic weight 126. ... A goitre (or goiter) (Latin struma) is a swelling in the neck due to an enlarged thyroid gland. ...

Refined salt

Refined salt, that is nowadays most widely used, is mainly sodium chloride. Only about 7% of the refined salt is used as a food additive. The majority is sold for industrial use, from manufacturing pulp and paper to setting dyes in textiles and fabric, to producing soaps and detergents, and has great commercial value.

The manufacture and use of salt is one of the oldest chemical industries. Salt is also obtained by evaporation of seawater, usually in shallow basins warmed by sunlight; salt so obtained was formerly called bay salt, and is now often called sea salt or solar salt. Today, most refined salt is prepared from rock salt: mineral deposits high in edible salt. These rock salt deposits were formed by the evaporation of ancient salt lakes. These deposits may be mined conventionally or through the injection of water. Injected water dissolves the salt, and the brine solution can be pumped to the surface where the salt is collected. Brine is water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. ...

After the raw salt is obtained, it is refined to purify it and improve its storage and handling characteristics. Purification usually involves recrystallization. In recrystallization, a brine solution is treated with chemicals that precipitate most impurities (largely magnesium and calcium salts). Multiple stages of evaporation are then used to collect pure sodium chloride crystals, which are kiln-dried.

Anticaking agents (and potassium iodide, for iodized salt) are generally added at this point. These agents are hygroscopic chemicals which absorb humidity, keeping the salt crystals from sticking together. Some anticaking agents used are tricalcium phosphate, calcium or magnesium carbonates, fatty acid salts, magnesium oxide, silicon dioxide, sodium alumino-silicate, and alumino-calcium silicate. Concerns have been raised regarding the possible toxic effects of aluminum in the latter two compounds, however both the European Union and the United States FDA permit their use in regulated quantities. Potassium iodide is a white crystalline salt with chemical formula KI, used in photography and radiation treatment. ... A hygroscopic or hydroscopic substance is a substance that absorbs water readily from its surroundings. ... In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid (or organic acid), often with a long aliphatic tail (long chains), either saturated or unsaturated. ... The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is the oxide of silicon, chemical formula SiO2. ... The United States Food and Drug Administration is the government agency responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, biologics and blood products in the United States. ...

The refined salt is then ready for packing and commercial distribution.

Table salt

Single-serving salt packets

Table salt is refined salt, containing nearly pure (95% or greater) sodium chloride. It usually contains substances that make it free flowing (anticaking agents). It is common practice to put a few grains of rice in salt shakers to absorb extra moisture when anticaking agents are not enough. Table salt is also often iodized—a small amount of potassium iodide is added as a dietary supplement. Table salt is mainly employed in cooking and as a table condiment. Iodized table salt has essentially eliminated disorders of iodine deficiency in countries where it is used. Iodine is important to prevent the insufficient production of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism), which can cause goiter, cretinism in children, and myxedema in adults. Salt packet. ... Salt packet. ... Species Oryza barthii Oryza glaberrima Oryza latifolia Oryza longistaminata Oryza punctata Oryza rufipogon Oryza sativa References ITIS 41975 2002-09-22 This article is about the food grain, not the university or Condoleezza Rice; see also rice (disambiguation). ... Hypothyroidism is a pathologic state caused by insufficient secretion of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. ... A goitre (or goiter) (Latin struma) is a swelling in the neck due to an enlarged thyroid gland. ... Cretinism is a congenital form of deficiency of thyroid hormones, retarding mental and physical growth. ... Hypothyroidism is a pathologic state caused by insufficient secretion of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. ...

Health effects

Sodium is one of the primary electrolytes in the body. Too much or too little salt in the diet can lead to an electrolyte disturbance, which can cause severe, even fatal neurological problems. Excessive consumption of sodium has also been linked to high blood pressure. An electrolyte is a substance which dissociates free ions when dissolved (or molten), to produce an electrically conductive medium. ... Electrolyte disturbance refers to an abnormal change in the levels of electrolytes in the body. ... Arterial hypertension, or high blood pressure is a medical condition where the blood pressure is chronically elevated. ...

Salt substitutes (with a taste similar to regular table salt) are available for individuals who wish to restrict their sodium intake. These substitutes contain mostly potassium chloride. Overview The chemical compound potassium chloride (KCl) is a metal halide composed of potassium and chlorine. ...

See also

• History of salt in America
• Impure salt
• Salt famine
• Sea salt
• Smoked salt
• Sodium chloride

File links The following pages link to this file: Amphibian Animal Abstract algebra Ada programming language Applied mathematics Algebra A Plus Cuisine of the United States Arthropod Active Server Pages Biology Bird Biochemistry Bicycle Bubble tea Botany Battery (electricity) Cell (biology) Bear Bubble and squeak Bash Bat Chordate Chess Cryptography... Over the last three millennia, salt has been a driving force behind towns, cities, and entire civilizations. ... Impure salt is a name for salt which has lost its saltiness. ... Sea salt, obtained by evaporation of sea water, is a salt used as an ingredient in cooking and in products such as cosmetics. ... Smoked salt is salt with smoke flavoring. ... Sodium chloride, also known as common salt, table salt, or halite, is a chemical compound with formula NaCl. ...

External links

• Salt production methods and practices (http://www.people.virginia.edu/~jtd/iccidd/iodman/iodman5.htm)
• HungryMonster.com article on edible salt (http://www.hungrymonster.com/Foodfacts/Glossary-Terms.cfm?Start_Loop=1&Types_Food_id_int=0&Food_vch=Salmagundi&page_type=Search&pid=8)