Effects of temperature, thickness of polypropylene shrink wrapping and modified atmosphere packaging on storage longevity of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Leafy vegetables such as lettuce are more susceptible to post harvest losses, thus application desirable treatments can be recommendable. Generally, type of packaging, such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and wrapping can considerably suppress post harvest loss of horticultural products. In this study, the effects of polypropylene film (thickness 30 and 40 micron) wrapping and modified atmosphere packaging on two different types of lettuce ‘Cos’ and ‘Crisphead’ that stored in 1 and 4˚C for 4 weeks were investigated. The results showed that type ‘Cos’ had better storability than ‘Crispheadhead’. polypropylene film applied in this experiment significantly increase storage life of lettuce as compared with untreated lettuce. Overall, lettuce that packed into passive MAP with 40 micron polypropylene thickness and active MAP with 30 micron, in 1˚C, considered as the best treatment for preserving qualitative and quantitative characteristics.