The lettuce that stays fresher for longer

London - If you regularly find yourself staring at soggy, wilted lettuce in the bottom of your fridge, then don’t worry – scientists may have found a solution.

Researchers claim to have developed a way to extend the life of lettuce so that the leaves will stay fresh for more than a week.

Professor Gail Taylor, from the University of Southampton, found that small, tough leaves with lots of cells packed closely together tend to stay crisp and firm for longer.

She worked out what genetic make-up is responsible for these characteristics and is now working with packaged salad producer Vitacress to selectively breed lettuces with these qualities.

Professor Taylor said: “People will know how frustrating it is to buy a bag of prepared salad only for it to wilt and turn into a brown mush after a few days.

“Our research means leaves last longer after you get them home. That will allow families to do their weekly food shop and have fresh salad on any day of the week.”

The study also found that producers could increase their salad’s shelf-life by reducing the water used during growing by 20 percent – which has the added benefit of being a more environmentally friendly growing process.

Baby salad leaves – usually cos or lollo rossa – undergo rigorous processing before they reach supermarket shelves.

Only the most robust leaves can survive this process. This makes growing salad crops with hardy leaves lucrative for the packaged salad industry, as it reduces waste and increases shelf life.

Professor Taylor added: “We were able to show that if you reduce water use in salad production by about 20 percent, you actually develop smaller, tougher leaves with stiff cells walls, which is what we’re interested in. At the same time, the company reduces its water footprint.”

Dr Steve Rothwell, from Vitacress, said: “This opens the door to further studies across a wider range of crops and geographies to drive down the use of water while improving quality and shelf life.” - Daily Mail