# Why isn't meat salty? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-meat-salty/173124 "2003-05-05T04:01:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-meat-salty/173124/1 "2003-05-05T04:01:24Z")
I recently used a saline nasal spray and I was surprised at how salty it was. Now, my educated guess is that the saline solution has the same salinity as the human body, which has similar salinity to mammals. So why does unseasoned meat seem to taste much less salty than a saline solution? ---
**Author:** ![netscape\_6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8c91f0/32.png) [@netscape\_6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/netscape_6)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-meat-salty/173124/2 "2003-05-05T04:49:42Z")
if i were to take i guess i would say it’s becouse the saline (whats left of it) is dilluted in meat. the saline in your nasil spray probaly matched the saline in your blood. cells i don’t think are very salty compared to your blood plasma. they usually drain the meat of blood. of course i am not a doctor, biologist, or even a butcher so take my explination with a grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-meat-salty/173124/3 "2003-05-05T10:17:18Z")
But I thought all fluids inside the body were the same salinity, since they are separated only by permeable membranes. Thinking more about it, perhaps the fluids are salty but most of that is drained and the leftover solids are not salty… Does black pudding taste as salty as a saline solution? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-meat-salty/173124/4 "2003-05-05T13:37:03Z")
Why would saline nasal spray have the same salinity as human tissue? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-meat-salty/173124/5 "2003-05-05T13:42:18Z")
I find that meat does taste salty, though not as salty as nasal spray. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-meat-salty/173124/6 "2003-05-05T15:02:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Irishman \* > \*\*Why would saline nasal spray have the same salinity as human tissue? \*\* That part was an educated guess as well. My understanding was that if a mucous membrane came in contact with water whose salinity is very different from the cells, osmotic pressure would result in water transfer. The cells would either gain or lose water, both of which can be felt as pain. Please someone correct me if I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-meat-salty/173124/7 "2003-05-05T16:49:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Irishman \* > \*\*Why would saline nasal spray have the same salinity as human tissue? \*\* > [@](#): > > Breathe-ease unique “Ringers-Locke” solution is formulated to approximate the body’s natural salinity and electrolyte composition. This unique formulation is reported in medical journals best for nasal cilia to prevent the nasal cilia from slowing due to infection, allergy, and contagion and more appropriate than regular saline. [url=http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:dCZ-7wFPcW0C:respiratory-supplies.medical-supplies-equipment.net/breath\_ease.html+nasal+spray+salinity&hl=en&ie=UTF-8] From here [/quote] ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-meat-salty/173124/8 "2003-05-05T16:51:45Z")
[From here](http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:dCZ-7wFPcW0C:respiratory-supplies.medical-supplies-equipment.net/breath_ease.html+nasal+spray+salinity&hl=en&ie=UTF-8)