What are the precise mechanisms of the antimicrobial effects of NaOH as well as NaCl on microorganisms?

Question

I'm trying to find articles specific to this question, but I don't find what I'm looking for. Need to know exactly how sodium hydroxide and sodium chloride will kill or inhibit bacteria and fungi. I'm sure this info must be out there somewhere because NaOH is the base of many detergents that is used in the food industry.
Give references please.

Answer 1

you are asking a question with many possible answers, that's why you couldn't find specific answer. anyway, from my own knowledge, i would say that sodium hydroxide kills bacteria simply from the fact that it's basic, that means when it's in solutin , it dissociate into hydroxide ions which is negatively charged and could covalently binds to bacterial protein that interferes its function, or the hydroxide ions causes the hydrolysis of protein, that's why it's harmful to human as well as bacteria, anions like hydroxide, superoxide and hydrogen peroxide are produced inside macrophage that has engulfed a bacterium just for you interest.

for the case of sodium chloride, it's certainly obscure and no proven to be antimicrobial. its antibmicrobial activity seen might because that excess extracellular sodium level could effect the function of sodium/potassium ATpase or other ions pumps that exist in bacteria, it's the membrane potential that the bacterium were unable to maintain because of high level of ions outside the cell, but this is only a guess