Brining

In food processing, brining is treating food with brine or coarse salt which preserves together with seasons the food while enhancing tenderness and flavor with additions such(a) as herbs, spices, sugar, caramel and/or vinegar. Meat and fish are typically brined for less than twenty-four hours while vegetables, cheeses and fruit are brined in the much longer process invited as pickling. Brining is similar to marination, except that a marinade normally includes a significant amount of acid, such(a) as vinegar or citrus juice. Brining is also similar to curing, which normally involves significantly drying the food, and is done over a much longer time period.

Vegetables

Pickled vegetables are immersed in brine, vinegar or vinaigrette for extended periods of time, where they undergo anaerobic fermentation which affects their texture and flavor. Pickling can preserve perishable foods for months. Antimicrobial herbs and spices, such as mustard seed, garlic, cinnamon or cloves, are often added. Unlike the canning process, pickling which includes fermentation does not require that the food be totally sterile ago it is sealed. The acidity or salinity of the solution, the temperature of fermentation, and the exclusion of oxygen determine which microorganisms dominate, and develop the flavor of the end product.