Question

You buy a bunch of small, round, red radishes at the grocery store; they are on sale because they have been sitting in the produce aisle for a while. When you get home you remove the stems and clean them. With the first bite, you notice their texture is not as crisp and crunchy as you like. Your friend says you should refrigerate them in a bowl of water overnight. The next day the radishes are crisp and crunchy again. What is the most likely explanation of why they became crunchy again after soaking in water?

A. The radish cells were hypertonic to the water in which they were soaking. So, the water moved by osmosis across the plasma membranes into the radish cells increasing the turgor pressure inside of the cells and making them crunchier.
B. The radish cells were hypotonic to the water in which they were soaking. So, the water osmosed across the plasma membranes out of the radish cells decreasing the turgor pressure inside of the cells and making them crunchier.
C. The radish cells were hypertonic to the water in which they were soaking. So, the water osmosed across the plasma membranes into the radish cells decreasing the turgor pressure inside of the cells.
D. The radish cells were hypotonic to the water in which they were soaking. So, the water osmosed across the plasma membranes into the radish cells decreasing the turgor pressure inside of the cells.

Answer 1

Radishes became crunchy again after soaking in water because the cells were hypertonic to the water, causing water to move into the cells via osmosis, increasing turgor pressure and restoring their crispness.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most likely explanation for radishes becoming crunchy again after soaking in water is A. The radish cells were hypertonic to the water in which they were soaking. So, the water moved by osmosis across the plasma membranes into the radish cells, increasing the turgor pressure inside of the cells and making them crunchier. When plant cells are in a hypotonic solution, water enters the cells, causing them to become turgid, which is a firm state due to the buildup of water pressure inside the cell against the cell wall. This turgor pressure is essential for maintaining the structure and crispness of plant tissues.