Kuljeet Singh Salt play a major role in the life of human beings as well as other living being like cows, goats, sheep and horse etc. In chemistry, we have different types of salts like sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium sulphate, copper sulphate etc. Here we will discuss about common salt which is also known as Sodium Chloride. It is an ionic inorganic compound which is made up of sodium and chlorine element. The amount of sodium and chlorine in sodium chloride is 40 per cent and 60 per cent respectively. The sodium and chlorine react with each other in fixed ratio which is 1:1 to form sodium chloride. Sodium chloride is a crystalline solid which is highly soluble in water. Its chemical formulae is NaCl and have a molecular formulae of 58.44g and density of 2.16 g. Sodium chloride is also known as table salt, sea salt, rock salt and food salt etc. Majority of salt is found in sea water and rock salt. Sea water is very rich source of salt due to sun heat sea water get evaporated and salt remain in the form of residue. Salt is known for its role as a flavouring agent in food. Everyone has a desire that food should have salty flavour. Salt also balance sweetness and suppresses other flavours like as bitterness, tanginess etc. It is also uses as preservative by lowering the water activity which is required for various microorganism species growth. The effect of salt on microorganism depend on number of factor which may be intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic factor includes Hydrogen ion concentration, moisture content, nutrient content of food, antimicrobial substance, biological structure and Ph factor while extrinsic factor includes temperature of storage, presence and concentration of gases in the environment, relative and humidity of food storage. Many of the microbial species survive in low alkaline medium of salt but when the concentration of salt is increases it may kill the organism. Salt consist of sodium perform a vast role in our body by regulating the fluid balance. It also transmits nerve impulse, muscle contraction and relaxation and transport digested food from cell to cell. In our body about 90 per cent of sodium comes from salt. In early times, human may take a low concentration of salt in diet which has been an estimate at a daily intake of 768 mg that is equivalent to 1.92 g which is very low amount. An adult human have a need of 4g to 8g salt daily which is enough to meet physiological need. Children’s require low concentration of salt as compared to an adult human. A report by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) suggests that salt intake for children should be in the range of 0.6 g per day for new born baby, 1.8 g per day for 4-6 years ole child, 4.08 g for 7 to 13 years old and 4-8 g for above 13 years. When we take salt in balance mood it will helpful for our body functioning. It perform a little bit role in the process of digestion and absorption of food. Sodium chloride activate an enzyme in our mouth named as salivary amylase which start process of digestion by breaking food in some extent .The hydrochloric acid (HCL) present on the wall of stomach is also form due to sodium chloride which is very important for digestive secretion. Salt help in proper functioning of thyroid .Thyroid gland is a vital hormone gland which plays a major role in the metabolism growth and development of the human body. For the proper secretion of thyroid our body has a need of mineral which is iodine which is present in salt. Salt keep our body hydrated and boost our body hydration level and electrolytic balanced in our body which is necessary for the functioning of our body organ system. Salt keep our body hydrated and boost our body hydration level and electrolytic balanced in our body which is necessary for the functioning of our body organ system. Salt keep our body hydrated and boost our body hydration level and electrolytic balanced in our body which is necessary for the functioning of our body organ system. We know that salt is very essential for our body but we need to take it in balance way. Excessive intake of salt may cause serious ill effects like development of hyper-tension and higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as (hypertensive) individual with rise to high blood pressure. High blood pressure is referring a force of blood against wall of arteries. High salt intake have direct impact on skin irritation and cause a disease like ecazema, which trigger the immune system to release T-cell which may cause inflammation. Other illness caused by excessive intake of salt including development of kidney stone, other kidney disease and ultimately kidney failure. Stomach cancer is one of the most deadly diseases which may also cause by excessive intake of salt in some extent. Increase in concentration of salt in diet may lead to increase sodium excretion in urine. As such, we should need to take salt in a balanced way intake of low or high salt may leads to serious effect in our body as excess of everything is bad.
