SALT'S BACKGROUND
Salt, sodium chloride, is a chemical compound that has the formula NaCl and typically 40% sodium and 60% chloride. Since the body cannot manufacture sodium or chloride, they are “essential” nutrients.
Solar salt is produced by the action of sun and wind on seawater in large ponds. This process is called solar evaporation and this type of salt is called Solar Sea Salt. Salt crystals start to form when the brine concentration reaches 25.8% Sodium Chloride (NaCl). At this point the brine is moved to what is called a “crystallizer pond” where the salt will begin to drop out of the water, forming a layer of salt on the crystallizer pond. Olsson’s Sea Salt is then harvested, dried and packaged.
Because Olsson’s sea salt has as its only ingredient seawater from two of the world’s most pristine oceans, the result is one of purest sea salts available. There are no chemical processes involved in the manufacture of our product, which is why we can guarantee that it is perfectly natural and pure.
Salt is the world’s oldest known condiment and many of the world’s most distinguished chefs recognize the taste advantage of sea salt over other salts. Salt is essential not only to life but to good health. Sodium, most readily found in salt, regulates fluid balance and is absolutely necessary for movement, nerve impulses, digestion and healing of wounds.
SALT AS A PRESERVATIVE
Salt has been used as a preservative for many thousands of years, to protect food against bacteria, mold, and spoiling.
Salt preserves food in the following ways:
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Salt dries food. Salt draws water out of food and dehydrates it via the process of osmosis. Essentially, water moves across a cell membrane to try to equalize the salinity or concentration of salt on both sides of the membrane. If you add enough salt, too much water will be removed from a cell for it to stay alive or reproduce. Salt is used to preserve protein (beef, pork, fish, etc) by keeping it dry, and it prevents butter from spoiling by drawing water out, leaving just the fat.
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Salt kills microbes. High salt is toxic to most microbes because of the effect of osmolarity, or water pressure. In very high salt solutions, many microbeswill rupture due to the difference in pressure between the outside and inside of the organism. High salt can also be toxic to internal processes of microbes, affecting DNA and enzymes. (NB: Solutions high in sugar also have the same effects on microbes, which is why it is used as a preservative of foods such as jams and jellies.)
SUSTAINABILITY
Sea Salt harvesting is probably the most sustainable type of farming (or mining according to the Australian Government) on the planet. Nothing is added in the making of the sea salt, nothing is taken away except water through natural evaporation. Salt has been and is still being harvested from many places on the earth since before written history and shows no indication of slowing down.
SALINITY
Parts of Australia have do salinity problems but is not an issue with the Olsson’s Salt Pans as we have salt bush all around our salt pans and ponds. Salt bush has a VERY deep tap root that draws the water table down with it which stops the salt water table from reaching the surface. Where the salt water table has reached the surface, in most cases, you will find that the salt bush has been cleared.​
