Instructions for the correct use of a salometer may be found in the Morton Salt Sodium Chloride Brine Table. A copy of this table may be obtained from your Morton Salt sales representative.

There are three methods used to produce salt: solar evaporation, rock salt mining, and vacuum pan evaporation.

Solar Evaporation Method

The oldest method of salt production known to man is solar evaporation. Solar salt production is the capturing of sea water in shallow ponds where the sun evaporates most of the water. This method uses two types of ponds — concentrating ponds and crystallizing ponds. In the concentrating ponds, the water from the sea or ocean evaporates due to the effects of sun and wind. The highly concentrated salt brine is then drained into the crystallizing pond. In the crystallizing pond, the salt crystals begin to grow. When the salt layer is thick enough, the salt is harvested with a mechanical harvesting machine.

Rock Salt Mining Method

The underground mining of salt is the second oldest method of producing salt. There are two shafts in each Morton mine: one for personnel and one to lower equipment and materials into the mine, as well as to hoist the mined salt to the surface. Large chunks of salt are crushed and the salt is then loaded into “Skips” (large holding bins) and then hoisted above ground.

Vacuum Pan Evaporation Method

In this method, salt from any of several sources is dissolved to create saturated brine. This brine is then pumped into vacuum pans. The steam vessels are normally in a series of three. The brine is pumped into the pans, steam is then introduced. When the brine reaches the boiling point, the brine separates into steam and the salt begins to crystallize. The heavier salt crystals will fall to the bottom of the pan in a slurry. The salt slurry is then drawn off and sent to the dryer wheel.

• 2000 lb. semi-bulk totes = 1 tote bag per pallet
• 80 lb. bags = 30 bags per pallet
• 50 lb. bags = 49 bags per pallet
• 40 lb. bags = 63 bags per pallet
• 25 lb. bags = 100 bags per pallet

Contact your Morton Salt Representative or send an e-mail to: Ask Morton Salt

Salt is generally recognized as safe. However, it is not found on the GRAS List as such. The FDA acknowledged that it would be impractical to list all substances that are Generally Recognized As Safe for their intended use. However, the FDA Commissioner acknowledges salt’s inherent safety. 21 CFR 182.1(a) states: “It is impractical to list all substances that are generally recognized as safe for their intended use. However, by way of illustration, the Commissioner regards such common food ingredients as salt, pepper, vinegar, baking powder and monosodium glutamate as safe for their intended use.”

There are four basic material handling options: Bagged Salt, Semi-Bulk Salt, Dry Bulk Salt, and Bulk Salt for Brinemaking.

The Food Chemicals Codex (“FCC”) is a compendium of internationally recognized standards for purity and identity of food ingredients. Published since 1966, FCC allows manufacturers of food, food ingredients, food additives, and processing aids to comply with standards that have been created and vetted by a highly rigorous and transparent scientific process. The United States Pharmacopeia (“USP”) acquired FCC from the Institute of Medicine in 2006, with the goal of providing full support for the continuing revision and update of the compendium. Learn more at https://www.usp.org/fcc/

The abbreviation “ppm” is short for “Parts Per Million.” 1 ppm equals 0.0001%. 1000 ppm is equal to 0.1%. 10,000 ppm is equal to 1.0%

This is a table providing information about the amount of salt, specific gravity, brine strength and freezing temperatures based on the salometer measurement of the brine solution with a salometer.

A brinemaker is a vessel or pit that stores salt and converts the salt into brine, or saltwater through the introduction of water into the vessel. Brinemakers range in size from small units 3’ diameter by 4’ in height to large bulk brinemakers 8’ or 12’ diameter by 10’ to 21’ in height. A variety of shapes and sizes of tanks or pits are used for brinemaking purposes. A brinemaker can utilize many types of salt.

A salometer is a hydrometer calibrated to measure the density of sodium chloride brine. A salometer has a graduated scale of 0° – 100°S, where 1°S is about 0.26% salt at the salometer’s calibration temperature.

Reagent Grade Sodium Chloride is sodium chloride which meets the standards of ACS Reagent Chemicals, Current Edition. Reagent grade chemicals are high quality and high purity chemicals suitable for laboratory and standardized industrial use. The American Chemical Society Committee on Analytical Reagents establishes the standards for reagent chemicals.

NSF salt refers to the salt products tested and certified by the American National Standards Institute/National Sanitation Foundation (“ANSI/NSF”) under the NSF Standard 60 for drinking water treatment chemicals health effects standards. Morton® Salt products with NSF 60 Certification may be found at https://www.nsf.org/business/search_listings/.

Shortly after passage of the 1958 amendment to the Food and Drug Act, the Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”) clarified the regulatory status of a multitude of food substances that were used in food prior to 1958 and amended its regulations to include a list of food substances that, when used for the purposes indicated and in accordance with current good manufacturing practice, are GRAS—that is Generally Recognized as Safe. This list has been incorporated into the FDA’s regulations. Section 182 of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations is commonly referred to as “the GRAS list.” Substances on this list are generally recognized among experts as having been adequately shown through scientific procedures or through experience based on common use in food to be safe under the conditions of their intended use.

A eutectic mixture is a mixture of two or more substances with a melting point lower than that for any other mixture of the same substances. In the case of salt and water, the eutectic point is -21.12°C or -6.016°F in a solution of 23.31% salt. For additional information, visit https://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/solutions/faq/why-salt-melts-ice.shtml.

The melting point of crystalline sodium chloride is 800.8°C or 1,473.4°F

A saturated brine solution contains 26.4% salt by weight at 60°F. This will vary slightly with temperature between 32° and 100°F.

In its dry crystalline form, salt is chemically stable. It does not degrade or become stale. However, the free-flowing, usable life can be limited by caking or lumping of salt crystals due to moisture. Proper storage conditions, including minimal cycling through 75% relative humidity are helpful in prolonging the useful life of salt. For more information, refer to the product data sheet for the product you are purchasing.

USP Sodium Chloride is selected from chemically purified production of vacuum crystallized salt to meet the standards of the United States Pharmacopeia (“USP”). The crystals are cubical or granular in form and the actual purity theoretically exceeds 99.95% sodium chloride, dry weight basis. It is used to prepare numerous types of liquid solutions including intravenous (IV) or vascular injection, hemodialysis surgical cauterizing, contact lens solutions, and for various other medical care and pharmaceutical applications. Salt may be used in either its dry form or dissolved in a solution.

It is generally best to use a high purity sodium chloride such as Culinox® 999® salt or Reagent Grade Sodium Chloride. These contain a minimum of 99.9% Sodium Chloride and additives. Using this salt will reduce the incidence of inconsistent test results due to impurities or other additives. For more information, see ASTM Method B117-03 Standard Practice for Operating Salt Spray (Fog) Apparatus. Other variations for salt spray testing may also be found at the ASTM website at https://www.astm.org

A copy of the Morton Salt Sodium Chloride Brine Table may be obtained from your Morton Salt sales representative.

Salt is as necessary for an animal’s diet as it is for people. Salt is an ideal carrying agent for other minerals known as trace minerals which animals must have and cannot always obtain from natural feeds. They are important for the prevention of disease and production of better livestock.