Salt
hideSalt is a dietary mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride that is essential for animal life, but toxic to most land plants. Salt flavor is one of the basic tastes, an important preservative and a popular food seasoning.
Salt for human consumption is produced in different forms: unrefined salt (such as sea salt), refined salt (table salt), and iodized salt. It is a crystalline solid, white, pale pink or light gray in color, normally obtained from sea water or rock deposits. Edible rock salts may be slightly grayish in color because of this mineral content.
Chloride and sodium ions, the two major components of salt, are necessary for the survival of all known living creatures, including humans. Salt is involved in regulating the water content (fluid balance) of the body. Salt cravings may be caused by trace mineral deficiencies as well as by a deficiency of sodium chloride itself. Conversely, overconsumption of salt increases the risk of health problems, including high blood pressure.
For more information about Salt, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with salt
Water-conserving irrigation strategies minimize overwatering, runoff
Nov 05, 2009 |
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Conserving water and reducing the environmental impact of runoff are two of the most important issues confronting container nursery operations. Current regulations and laws in five states limit water consumption ...
Solar power generation around the clock
Nov 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A Californian company, SolarReserve, is developing a solar power system that can store seven hours' worth of solar energy by focusing mirrors onto millions of gallons of molten salt, allowing ...
'Blue energy' seems feasible and offers considerable benefits
Oct 30, 2009 |
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Generating energy on a large scale by mixing salt and fresh water is both technically possible and practical. The worldwide potential for this clean form of energy - 'blue energy' or 'blue electricity' - is enormous. However, ...
Synthetic Cells Shed Biological Insights While Delivering Battery Power
Oct 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Trying to understand the complex workings of a biological cell by teasing out the function of every molecule within it is a daunting task. But by making synthetic cells that include just a ...
Don't worry so much about limiting sodium, researchers say
Oct 20, 2009 |
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University of California-Davis nutrition researchers are challenging the decades-old conventional wisdom that we should watch our salt.
New Evidence Shakes up Perceptions of Salt
Oct 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- As the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are currently under development and regulations surrounding sodium consumption are being considered, an analysis of evidence to be released online ...
Do lava lamps and actual lava share similar characteristics?
Oct 14, 2009 |
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When Imre Jánosi's teenage daughter asked him how her new lava lamp worked, she probably expected a quick explanation. But her innocent question sent Jánosi, a physicist at Loránd ...
Scientist increase the efficiency of a type of solar cell by incorporating ionic salts
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Oct 14, 2009 |
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A group of scientists are working on the optimisation of a type of photovoltaic cell (Grätzel cell) that artificially mimics photosynthesis.
Receptor activated exclusively by glutamate discovered on tongue
Oct 09, 2009 |
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One hundred years ago, Kikunae Ikeda discovered the flavour-giving properties of glutamate, a non essential amino acid traditionally used to enhance the taste of many fermented or ripe foods, such as ripe ...
Could salt crusts be key ingredient in cooking up prebiotic molecules?
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 18, 2009 |
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German scientists investigating the complex chemical mixture thought to be present in the early Earth’s oceans have found that amino acids can be 'cooked' into many other important chemical building blocks ...
Chloride found at levels that can harm aquatic life in urban streams of the Northern US
Sep 16, 2009 |
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Levels of chloride, a component of salt, are elevated in many urban streams and groundwater across the northern U.S., according to a new government study.
Salt and Paper Battery May One Day Replace Lithium Batteries
Sep 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Salt and paper battery can be used in many low-power devices, such as medical implants, RFID tags, wireless sensors and smart cards. This battery uses a thin-film which makes it an attractive ...
Renewable Energy Made by Mixing Salt and Fresh Water
Sep 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- When a river flows into the sea, the location is more than just a haven for water commerce. The mixing of fresh and salt water that occurs at an estuary also dissipates energy, as the different ...
NASA Heads Out to Sea
Aug 24, 2009 |
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NASA scientists Maury Estes and Mohammad Al-Hamdan have been seafaring in the Gulf of Mexico, and one of them grew a bit green around the gills. It's not surprising that a space agency scientist might have ...
Spot urine test: To monitor dietary sodium compliance in liver disease patients?
Aug 12, 2009 |
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Most patients with ascites caused by liver cirrhosis are treated with diuretics in addition to dietary sodium restriction. This creates a negative nitrogen balance and promotes mobilization of ascites. Lack of response can ...
