Why do lettuce leaves become wilted after they have been in salty salad dressing for awhile?

Answer 1

Lettuce becomes wilted after being in salty salad dressing for a long time because of osmosis. The water inside the cells of the lettuce leaves and is replaced with the salt in the salad dressing.

Answer 2

Salad dressing contains acids which react with the molecules in the salad leaves to, create excess liquid in a chemical reaction. In some rare cases the acid might make the leaves disintegrate and burn a hole right through the bowl. All of these things are determined by the type of salad and the salad dressing.

Answer 3

Lettuce becomes saggy because of the nutrients it absorbs causing it to 'sag'. If the lettuce absorbs more nutrients it will, 'sag'. definition of sag:

(To)sink or subside gradually under weight or pressure or through lack of strength: "he sagged against the wall".

Answer 4

This is probably due to osmosis.

The leaves have fresh water in them, but the salt in the dressing causes the water from the leaves to enter the dressing. This is because the water is trying to even out the concentration of salt in the dressing and the leaves - hence lots of water is needed in the dressing to reduce the concentration of salt.

This means the water from the leaves goes into the dressing, causing the leaves to appear wilted.

In theory, rinsing the leaves and leaving them in fresh water should restore them to their unwilted state, but this would take much longer to achieve than the initial wilting.

Answer 5

There is a net movement of water out of the cells in the salad, in a process called osmosis. This happens until there is equilibrium in the salad cells and the medium outside.

Answer 6

The salt draws the water out of the lettuce. it is the water that keeps it crisp.

Answer 7

that is because the lettce starts to soak in all the salt and moisture and make them soggy