Question

If you are provided with some vegetables to cook. You generally add salt into the vegetables during cooking process. After adding salt, vegetables release water. What mechanism is responsible for this?

Answer 1

Osmosis:

1. Osmosis is defined as the process by which the water molecules pass from the higher concentration region to the lower concentration region through a selectively permeable membrane.
2. Osmosis is of two types namely endosmosis and exosmosis. The process by which the water molecules enter the cell is known as endosmosis whereas the process by which the water molecules exit from the cell is known as exosmosis.

Reason for vegetables releasing water after salt is added:

1. While cooking we add salt to the vegetables. After adding salt, vegetables release water due to a mechanism known as exosmosis.
2. Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from the higher concentration region to the lower concentration region through a semi-permeable membrane. Osmosis is of two types namely exosmosis and endosmosis. During osmosis, when water molecules exit from the cell is known as exosmosis whereas when water molecules enter the cell is known as endosmosis.
3. When we add salt to the vegetables, the outer environment that contains salt acts as a hypertonic solution that has a higher concentration of solute, and the vegetables act as a hypotonic solution that has a lower concentration of solute. Therefore, water is released from the vegetables.