1990 Volume 41 Issue 12 Pages 1143-1149
Butter head lettuce was stored in a refrigerator under controlled temperature (2, 5, or 8°C) and humidity (40, 60, or 80% RH). After a storage period of 4 to 10 days, a sensory evaluation on the quality of the lettuce for wilting, yellowing and injury was made. The loss in weight and contents of vitamin C and chlorophylls were also determined.
After storage, deterioration in appearance was observed, the weight, and the amounts of vitamin C and that of chlorophyll decreased. The lower the temperature and the higher the humidity, the more the quality was retained. The rate of decrease in vitamin C content was affected by temperature more than by humidity. On the other hand, the rate in chlorophyll content was affected by humidity more than by temperature. There were high correlations between the results of the sensory test for the three items and the values obtained from chemical analysis.
