Salt is a versatile seasoning in the cooking. For example, the addition of salt to the cooking water of rice make the water absorption of rice grains suppress. The salt is necessary for making the noodle because it can enhance the elasticity of the dough. The softening of vegetables and beans are promoted by the salt added to the cooking water. The browning of such fruits as an apple is restricted by the salt solution. The aggregation of egg is accelerated by the salt, while the strength of the soybean curd is weakened by the salt added to the cooking water. Thus the salt has various influences on appearance, taste, texture of foods during cooking. Some effects of salt on the textural changes of foods have concentration dependence. We need to control the concentration of salt for the desirable use to obtain the optimum cooked state. The mechanism of various changes by the salt is not always enough. For better understanding of the role of salt in the cooking, the mechanism of such changes as texture by the salt needed to be investigated.
