Salt your salad just before service

Students experiment osmosis with Prof. Dr. Sibel Ozilgen as a part of 'Culinary Science Laboratory' at the Gastronomy and Culinary Science Department, Yeditepe.

Students observe with Prof. Dr. Sibel Ozilgen as a part of 'Culinary Science Laboratory' at the Gastronomy and Culinary Science Department, Yeditepe that salted lettuce release substantial amount of water during storage compared to its unsalted counterpart. Osmosis may decrease the quality of foods. For example, salad greens become wilted after they have been in contact with salt for a while. Similarly, fruits release their juice when they are sprinkled with sugar.
On the other hand, osmosis is also used to preserve foods and to process fruits and vegetables in their own juice.