Everyone knows that salt adds flavor to food and salt iodization an age-old food preservative, but there are other surprising functions salt plays in food. Professional blogger and cookbook author Bethany Moncel has become an expert on making delicious, healthy meals on a budget. She also holds a nutritional science degree.

When salt is mixed with water, it becomes a brine. Brining is soaking food in heavily salted water, which preserves and flavors food. Pickling, for example, is a form of brine. Most people do not realize that salt plays a large role in creating texture in food. Salt also has a profound effect on the gelatinization of proteins, which occurs in cheese production and many processed types of meat such as sausage, bologna, and ham. In processed meat products, salt helps retain moisture, and so less saturated fat is needed.

Large salt crystals are also often used as a garnish to add a crunchy texture, as with soft and hard pretzels. Salt acts in multiple ways to enhance the flavor of food. Not only does it create a “salty” flavor element, one of the most desired tastes by humans, but salt can also affect other flavors, such as sweet and bitter. In small amounts, salt will intensify sweetness, so it is sometimes sprinkled on fresh fruit or added to candies like caramel.

Salt will also help release certain molecules in food, bringing out some of the ingredients’ flavors and making food more aromatic. Pure table salt is comprised of approximately 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chlorine. Although most Americans consume far too much sodium, it is a nutrient that is essential for survival. Sodium is needed to help relax and contract muscles, conduct nerve impulses, and sustain the proper balance of minerals and water in the body.

Because salt helps form protein gels, it can be used as a binding agent. When salt is added to foods such as sausage or other processed meats, it causes gelatinization of proteins which then hold the product together. The vibrant color of many processed types of meat, such as ham or hot dogs, is partially due to salt. The presence of salt helps promote and maintain color and prevents it from turning gray or muddy.