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

You did not present any of the alternatives, but probably there is one stating that the brine will extract water from the microorganisms (cells) by osmosis. The lack of (cytoplasmic) water will render the microorganisms unfunctional and unable to break down the meat.