Lettuce postharvest quality: Affordable packing and storage durations

The affordability of packaging materials and proper storage facilities to preserve the quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) has become a problematic issue for small-scale farmers in Malaysia, who have limited resources and rely on their crops for income. This study compares the post-harvest quality preservation of lettuce using plastic bags and newspapers as cost-effective packaging materials under storage durations of 0, 3, 6, 12, and 15 days. The lettuce quality parameters measured were chlorophyll, sucrose, weight loss, and overall visual quality (OVQ). The results showed newspapers had the highest mean weight loss (7.91 g), while plastic had the lowest one (5.81 g). However, chlorophyll content did not significantly differ between the two packaging types. Lettuce packaged in plastic bags had a significantly lower total soluble solids (TSS) content mean value (2.89%) compared to newspaper (3.89%). In addition, the plastic bag materials gave a better OVQ than that of the newspaper. Generally, the use of plastic bags as a packaging option for small-scale lettuce farmers in Malaysia is affordable and readily available.