A tissue appears soft and mushy following clearing. What caused this?

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Multiple Choice

A tissue appears soft and mushy following clearing. What caused this?

Clearing is the step that makes the tissue compatible with paraffin by replacing the alcohol and making the tissue ready for infiltration. If clearing is not complete, residual clearing agent or alcohol remains in the tissue, which blocks thorough paraffin infiltration. Without full infiltration, the tissue doesn’t solidify properly and stays soft or mushy after embedding. Over-clearing or inadequate dehydration would produce different texture changes (brittleness or residual water), but the soft, mushy appearance specifically points to inadequate clearing, where the tissue hasn’t been fully prepared for paraffin penetration.

Clearing is the step that makes the tissue compatible with paraffin by replacing the alcohol and making the tissue ready for infiltration. If clearing is not complete, residual clearing agent or alcohol remains in the tissue, which blocks thorough paraffin infiltration. Without full infiltration, the tissue doesn’t solidify properly and stays soft or mushy after embedding. Over-clearing or inadequate dehydration would produce different texture changes (brittleness or residual water), but the soft, mushy appearance specifically points to inadequate clearing, where the tissue hasn’t been fully prepared for paraffin penetration.

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