Effect of refrigerated storage conditions on leafy vegetables

Abstract

Considering the increasing of shelf life of leafy vegetables, the most important factor to keep the quality is the rapid cooling. The lettuce packaging under refrigeration and specific relative humidity just after harvest provides decreased breathing by water loss, which affects addition to weight, appearance, flavor and texture. This study aimed to investigate the effect of temperature and relative humidity in the appearance global of refrigerated curly lettuce and stored in PET crystal surrounded by PVC packaging for 14days. The samples were stored in incubator chamber (B.O.D.), simulating domestic refrigeration conditions at 4°C and a relative humidity of 74%. The package acted as a barrier, slowing food degradation caused by microorganisms and physicochemical changes resulting from the metabolism and external factors. For the sensory analysis we used a hedonic scale unstructured nine points.