Ingredient Information

Function

Sodium chloride is a food additive that is incorporated in foods with the purpose of adding and enhancing flavor and to preserve food preparations. Sodium chloride is an ionic salt and has many other uses. Sodium chloride pulls water out through osmosis, which is why it is an excellent food preservative. Sodium chloride is virtually present in all food preparations and it is also added to the food at the table,

Sodium chloride and salt are synonymous as sodium chloride (NaCl) is the main ingredient in salt, the other elements depending on the salt's source.

Sodium chloride is used in foods as a flavoring agent; preserving agent, dehydrating cured meats and other food preparations, not allowing most microorganisms grow; binder in food preparations like sausages, where it forms a gel-like substance that provides cohesion; texture control agent color developer; tenderizing agent; extinguishing agent used in class D extinguishers; dehydrating agent; and water softening agent.

Sodium chloride is essentially table salt and used extensively in cooking. Sodium chloride is extensively used in pickling and for preserving fish, bacon, sausages and other food stuffs. Sodium chloride is also used in preparing baking powder. Several dairy products, such as cheese, ice-cream, condensed milk, frozen desserts and butter, make use of salt as a binding agent and for preservation.

Other Use and Industries

Besides the use of sodium chloride in the food industry, this compound has multiple uses. Sodium chloride is used in paper-making and the textile industry, where it is used to set dyes, and is also used to make soaps an detergents.

Sodium chloride is used to deice roads in cold-weather countries, sodium chloride used in this manner is called “road salt”.

In the mining industry sodium chloride is used to flocculate the drilling fluids when wells are made.

Sodium chloride is also used to oxidize uranium and obtain uranium oxide or “yellow cake.” It is also used in the processing of aluminum, beryllium, cooper, steel and vanadium.

Salt is used to produce a variety of soaps, detergents and other cleaning products. The textile, rubber and dyeing industries, metal processing and leather tanning all require sodium chloride for various purposes.

Mixed with sulfuric acid, salt is used to manufacture chloride dioxide, which is used to prepare oxygen-based bleach.

Health Effects

An unbalanced intake of sodium chloride can cause cramps, dizziness and an electrolyte disturbance which can lead to neurological problems or even death. Drinking water in excess, combined with a low intake of sodium chloride can cause hyponatremia or “water poisoning." Sodium chloride is a necessary electrolyte for proper body function. That is the reason why physiological solutions have sodium chloride in different percentages, the normal one being a 0.9% NaCl solution.

Sodium chloride is associated with high blood pressure, stroke, cardiovascular disease, edema, left ventricular hypertrophy and other medical conditions. Some special diets include a lower intake of salt. For example, a diet for renal failure patients should be low in sodium and potassium.

Sodium chloride in the body improves the absorption of amino acids and glucose. In case of excessive sweating, vomiting or diarrhea, salt is used to maintain the electrolyte balance. Also, in case of severe chloride depletion due to heart failure, kidney impairment, or post-surgery settings, sodium chloride injections are generally prescribed by doctors.

Those who are pregnant or have heart disease or diabetes should limit consumption of sodium chloride.

Origins

Sodium chloride is produced by two methods. The first method is through evaporation form sea water or brine from brine wells and salt lakes. The second method is bi-mining; sodium chloride exists in a rock form that can be mined, called rock salt or halite.

Sodium chloride is a colorless or white crystalline compound whose molecular formula is NaCl. It is highly soluble in water and also slightly soluble in alcohol.