How to Store Lettuce Stalks Long-Term? Cold Storage Tips for Freshness up to One Month

Lettuce stalks (also known as stem lettuce or celtuce) are a popular vegetable with both nutritional and medicinal value. However, they are very perishable under normal room temperature and can easily rot within a few days. For businesses dealing with fresh produce exports or wholesale, proper preservation is crucial.

One of the most effective solutions is to use a vegetable cold storage room.👉 Learn more about vegetable cold storage construction costs Celtuce prefers cool conditions and cannot withstand heat. By storing it in a cold storage facility, its freshness can be significantly extended.

Optimal Cold Storage Conditions for Celtuce

• Temperature: 0–3℃ (32–37℉)
• Relative Humidity: 85%–90%
• Key Notes:
  • Avoid large temperature fluctuations, as they may cause bolting, hollow stems, and softening.
  • Excessive cold can damage the stems, leading to rot after thawing.

Under these controlled conditions, celtuce can be preserved for up to 30 days without losing quality.

Storage Steps for Celtuce in Cold Rooms

1. Harvest Selection – Choose high-quality stalks (no hollow cores, no wilted or yellow leaves, thick stems).
2. Pre-cooling – Place harvested celtuce in a pre-cooling room at around 4℃ before transferring into storage.
3. Packaging – Group 3–5 stalks together, pack them in 0.03mm polyethylene film bags, and place them on racks inside the cold room.