Explain about the Salting - Methods of Food Processing?
Salting: Salting, especially of meat, is an ancient preservation technique. Food is treated with salt or a strong salt solution. Due to high concentration of salt, water from the food is tied up and made unavailable for microbial growth and enzyme action and hence, preserved the food. Salt has the following effects: (a) it causes high osmotic pressure and hence, plasmolysis (shrinking) of cell; (b) it dehydrates foods by drawing out and tying up moisture as it dehydrates microbial cells; and (c) it ionizes to yield the chloride ion, which is harmful to organisms. Dry salting is used in India for the preparation of tamarind, raw mango, amla, fish and meat. Salted meat and fish can last for years. In meat salting, the prepared meats were soaked in 10% salt-water brine for several weeks. In fish salting, fresh fish were gutted on a cement slope and washed with the water. Coarse salt was then rubbed into their gills, mouth and scales. Layers of fish were alternated with layers of salt and covered with dry matting. They were then left to stand for 3 to 5 days, after which the pile was turned over and left for an additional 3 to 5 days.