Effect of Preparation Procedures and Storage Parameters on Quality Retention of Salad‐cut Lettuce

Piece‐size reduction, which is required in preparing lettuce for salads, shortens storage life of cut lettuce as compared to uncut head lettuce. Cellular fluids, released during cutting, are removed by rinsing with water, followed by centrifugation to remove added surface moisture. Extended centrifugation can cause desiccation of product, which may be beneficial under certain conditions. Other methods of water removal, such as blotting or forced air did not seem practical. During storage green pigmentation decreased in salad‐cut lettuce. Optimum cold storage was obtained by packaging the cut‐lettuce in pouches that had been slightly evacuated and contained a small amount of carbon monoxide.