KOMPAS.com – Lettuce, one of the ingredients for making this vegetable salad, is quite easy to find at a fairly affordable price.
Lettuce sold in markets or supermarkets sometimes has orange stains or black spots. The lettuce looked unappetizing.
So is this spotted lettuce safe to consume? Reporting from the Delish page, here is the explanation.
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Origin of orange spots on lettuce
The orange spots that can be found on lettuce look like rust. However, there is no need to be afraid, this is most common with lettuce.
According to Marita Cantwell and Trevor Suslow in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, this occurs because of the presence of ethylene gas.
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Ethylene gas is used by certain fruits and vegetables to speed up the ripening process. Like making avocados soft and bananas turning brown.
This process will occur in lettuce that is packaged in a closed container, such as a plastic bag.
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Is it safe to consume?
Dark orange spots may be a sign to avoid them on vegetables. Lettuce with spots is completely safe to eat.
No matter how strange it may seem, this discoloration is purely a cosmetic defect. As long as there are no other warning signs with the lettuce (like slimy or foul smelling), you can go ahead and eat it.
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However, it is important to note that you should always wash lettuce thoroughly before processing it.
If you want to prevent orange spots on lettuce, keep it away from storing it near fruits that emit high levels of ethylene gas such as bananas, avocados, apples and melons.
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