A quick question about pickles! Chem homeowork?!
In making pickles, a cucumber is placed in a strong salt solution!. What (in chemistry lingo) is happening!?Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
It is losing water through osmosis!. It will continue to lose water through the semi permeable cell membranes until it reaches equilibrium with the saline solution!. This is why pickles are smaller than cucumbers!.
The same thing happens when you are in the tub and you get wrinkly fingers but in reverse!. Your body absorbs water through the skin and your skin swells up!. Your fingers do not wrinkle in sea water!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
The same thing happens when you are in the tub and you get wrinkly fingers but in reverse!. Your body absorbs water through the skin and your skin swells up!. Your fingers do not wrinkle in sea water!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Usually it's referred to as fermenting anaerobically!. The fermenting is done by microbes that make convert some of the cucumber's carbohydrates to lactic acid and basically the pickles will last a long time because not much can live and grow in that acidic brine!. My family ran a pickle company way back in the day!. :-)Www@FoodAQ@Com
