Prior to the invention of refrigeration, meat was often preserved by soaking it in brine (a concentrated solution of NaCl in water) to kill any microorganisms that might have tried to use the meat as their own food source. Which of the following BEST explains how a brine solution could be lethal to those microorganisms?

Question

Prior to the invention of refrigeration, meat was often preserved by soaking it in brine (a concentrated solution of NaCl in water) to kill any microorganisms that might have tried to use the meat as their own food source.  Which of the following BEST explains how a brine solution could be lethal to those microorganisms?

anonymous · Answer

Prior to the invention of refrigeration, meat was often preserved by soaking it in brine (a concentrated solution of NaCl in water) to kill any microorganisms that might have tried to use the meat as their own food source.  Which of the following BEST explains how a brine solution could be lethal to those microorganisms?
Answer
		
A.)   The NaCl would dissociate into ions, creating a very acidic solution which would break the bonds between adjacent phospholipids and destroy the microorganism's cell membranes.
		
B.)    The NaCl would strengthen the bonds between adjacent cell membrane phospholipids, making it impossible for water to move into or out of the cells of the microorganisms.
		
C.)    Water would move into the cells of the microorganisms by osmosis and the phospholipids of the cell membrane would be forced far apart, destroying the cell.
		
D.)    Water would move out of the cells of the microorganisms by osmosis and the cytoplasm would become dehydrated, keeping solutes from diffusing within the cells.

pfenn1 · Answer

D.