Potassium nitrate (the main ingredient of gunpowder) has historically been used as a preservative, particularly for curing meat. Some people might still use it, but these days sodium nitrite is more common.
It's just occurred to me that humans likely found out that KNO3 acted as a preservative/curing agent when gunpowder got accidentally mixed with food provisions. I can imagine on board some old war galleon or with army materiel that gunpowder accidentally spilt on foodstuffs and someone discovered its preserving properties.
Does anyone know if this happened (it seems a plausible idea to me)?
Does anyone know if this happened (it seems a plausible idea to me)?