Advances in Lettuce postharvest processing: Implications for microbiological safety and storage quality

Postharvest fresh produce processing is a critical control point in mitigating microbial contamination, avoiding cross-contamination, and preserving quality. Current commercial postharvest processing methods are limited in removing biohazards and complying with environmental regulations. In addition, there is a demand for food products that are free of chemical residues and are lightly processed. Recently, there has been significant progress in the studies concerning innovative postharvest processing strategies to efficiently disinfect, inhibit browning, and uphold the quality of fresh-cut produce, which constitutes a pivotal undertaking within the horticulture sector. The current review scrutinized the utilization of new technologies in fresh lettuce post-harvest processing to mitigate food safety risks and identified scientific research gaps that could hinder these treatments' widespread adoption and future perspective. Plasma-activated water and electrolyzed water technologies have shown great potential to disinfect and prolong the shelf life of fresh-cut lettuce by washing. However, technologies like pulsed light, ultraviolet light, and Ultrasound as water-assisted or in hurdle with other technologies showed great potential as hurdle technologies for lettuce postharvest processing. Essential oils and Bacteriophages as biological technologies showed potential as a replacement for chemical methods, however, both could bind to the membranes of the lettuce material, changing their initial aroma and flavor or even causing safety concerns. Scaling up from laboratory-scale experiments to large-scale commercial processes can provide significant challenges for all novel technologies. • Current commercial and innovative lettuce postharvest technologies discussed. • Current methods are limited in complying with environmental regulations. • Plasma-activated and electrolyzed water technologies have shown great potential. • Novel technologies scaling up from laboratory to commercial can be challenging.