Rock salt

Rock salt often formed millions of years ago. Remnants of ancient, dried-up seas and salt lakes are stored underground at depths of several hundred metres, where they form rock salt reservoirs, also known as salt deposits. They were formed when sea inlets became separated from the oceans, through changes in sea level and tectonic shifts. Salt has always been of great importance to people because it is essential for life. In mythology, it was therefore even considered a divine gift. Sharing bread and salt is a sign of friendship. But salt is important not only as an essential component of food: it has always also been used to preserve perishable foods and thus protect against disease. Today, rock salt is also used for various industrial purposes.

Extraction and processing of rock salt

Rock salt differs from sea salt. The main difference between the two types of salt lies in how they are obtained and their age. Sea salt is “young” salt: it is repeatedly “harvested” in so-called salt pans, as the process of skimming it off is known. Seawater is channelled through an extensive system of basins and canals, where sunlight causes the water to evaporate at the surface and the salt concentration steadily increases. Finally, the crystalline salt can be removed from the surface. The highest-quality sea salt is the salt flower, sold as “Fleur de Sel”.
Our rock salt, on the other hand, is “old” salt, often lying completely untouched by environmental influences in the earth for several hundred years, waiting to be “mined.” And this is how it works.

1. MINING

   Rock salt can be extracted in various ways. The rock salt used in our products is a high-quality, completely natural salt. This is also known as underground mining, as the process takes place below ground. It primarily involves drilling methods that free the rock salt from the mountain in large blocks or chunks.

   ENCLOSED IN THE GROUND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS

2. CRUSHING

   To process the large chunks of salt further, the salt is first roughly broken into smaller pieces underground. Only then can it be brought to the surface using conveyors.

   THE SALT HAS TO COME OUT OF THE CAVE

3. GRINDING

   Depending on the application, the rock salt is crushed into grains of different sizes. It passes through various grinding stages and is repeatedly sent through special sieves. This makes it possible to produce grains ranging from 0.1 millimeters to 16 millimeters. The rock salt used in our products has a very fine grain.

   FINE GRAIN

4. PACKAGING AND TRANSPORT

   Since salt is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture, packaging must be chosen that is as environmentally friendly as possible while also ensuring that the product remains dry. It can then be stored and ultimately transported to us.

   WE NEED IT TO STAY DRY

Why rock salt?

The rock salt we use is highly pure, not chemically or mechanically processed, not bleached, and contains no other added substances. Because the underground deposits are shielded from all external influences, no microplastics can reach the salt, as can happen with sea salt. At BERTRAND, we add this completely natural product to our products because it is an essential part of our diet.

Sea salt contains microplastics

Like almost all things obtained from the sea, sea salt often contains microplastics. However, no microplastics have yet been detected in our rock salt.

What role does salt play in our bodies?

What is hardly recognized is that our body fluids consist largely of salt water. The salt content is only 0.9 percent, but this nevertheless makes salt an essential part of our bodies. Incidentally, you can even taste this salt content: Our tears and sweat taste salty. Salt therefore plays a role that goes far beyond being a mere seasoning.

The water-soluble compound formed by positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions is responsible for maintaining a balanced fluid level in our bodies. Salt, also known as “sodium chloride” or NaCl, supports the nutrient balance inside and outside the body's cells, with water constantly passing through the cell membrane. Minerals and trace elements thereby enter the body's cells. This mechanism, which depends on the salt concentration, is known as osmosis.

Humans would therefore be unable to survive without salt intake. A severe salt deficiency would lead to seizures and fainting. In the long term, too little salt intake causes cholesterol and adrenaline levels to rise, which can have adverse effects on the heart and blood vessels. However, consuming too much salt can also have negative effects. The kidneys must excrete excess salt, placing unnecessary strain on them. The DGE (German Nutrition Society) recommends a maximum salt intake of 6 grams per day.

Table salt obtained from rock salt generally has the following typical composition: 59.9 percent chloride, 38.8 percent sodium, 0.25 percent calcium, 0.15 percent phosphorus, 0.12 percent magnesium, 0.02 percent sulfur, and traces of potassium. While the minerals and trace elements—in this case, with the exception of potassium—are negligible, chloride and sodium play a significant role.