# Why does brining chicken seem to work counter to osmosis?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-brining-chicken-seem-to-work-counter-to-osmosis/454722>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 30, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-brining-chicken-seem-to-work-counter-to-osmosis/454722 "2008-06-30T01:50:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![frackthetoasters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c77e96/32.png) [@frackthetoasters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frackthetoasters)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-brining-chicken-seem-to-work-counter-to-osmosis/454722/1 "2008-06-30T01:50:59Z")

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In Biology 101 I remember learning that when two solutions with different concentrations are separated by a semi-permeable membrane, water moves to the side with the high concentration until the solutions are pf equal concentration.

And yet…if you “brine a chicken” (soak it in salt water) for several days before roasting it, it turns out much juicier. As if water had entered the chicken.

If the concentration of salt in the brine is higher than the cells of the chicken meat, why does liquid go into the chicken? If the concentration of salt in the brine is lower than the cells of the chicken meat…why put salt in the water at all?

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**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-brining-chicken-seem-to-work-counter-to-osmosis/454722/2 "2008-06-30T02:09:01Z")

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My theory is that brining the chicken does two things. One, it improves the flavor by drawing out the water and concentrating the flavors within the cell. Two, it makes the meat retain juices better during the cooking process. As the water is drawn out of the cell the concentration of solutes rises until the protein within the cell denatures, allowing it to bond with water.

So the end result is that you start with less water in the meat than if you hadn’t brined it, but when you’re done you’ve retained a much larger percentage of the water you stated with.

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**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-brining-chicken-seem-to-work-counter-to-osmosis/454722/3 "2008-06-30T02:11:01Z")

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[Cooking for engineers](http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/70/Brining)  
[Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brining)

> [@](#):
>
> Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. The brine surrounding the cells has a higher concentration of salt than the fluid within the cells, but the cell fluid has a higher concentration of other solutes. This leads salt ions to enter the cell via diffusion. The increased salinity of the cell fluid causes the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis. The salt introduced into the cell also denatures its proteins. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix which traps water molecules and holds them during cooking. This prevents the meat from drying out, or dehydrating.