After several days in the fridge, an otherwise fresh and unopened (cellophane wrapped) head of iceberg lettuce started to turn brown on the interior leaves. Is it still OK to eat?
The outside leaves were still green and OK but I usually toss the top two leaves anyway. The head was still firm and crisp. The brown color is NOT fungus or on the surface of the leaves. It is "in" the leaves, kind of along the veins (brown streaks, not big brown blotches) and mostly on the white or light green portion. The darker green portion of the leaves have much less of the brown stuff. All of the leaves are still nice and crisp.
Anybody what is turning brown? And what the brown is? (Not much sugar in lettuce, so I doubt that it's colorless sugars turning brown / caramelizing.)
After several days in the fridge, an otherwise fresh and unopened (cellophane wrapped) head of iceberg lettuce started to turn brown on the interior leaves. Is it still OK to eat?
The outside leaves were still green and OK but I usually toss the top two leaves anyway. The head was still firm and crisp. The brown color is NOT fungus or on the surface of the leaves. It is "in" the leaves, kind of along the veins (brown streaks, not big brown blotches) and mostly on the white or light green portion. The darker green portion of the leaves have much less of the brown stuff. All of the leaves are still nice and crisp.
Anybody what is turning brown? And what the brown is? (Not much sugar in lettuce, so I doubt that it's colorless sugars turning brown / caramelizing.)
THANK YOU.
It's probably as ok to eat as iceberg lettuce ever gets.
--Jeff
-- It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell. --William Tecumseh Sherman
In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. --Jose Narosky
The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. --H.L. Mencken
After several days in the fridge, an otherwise fresh and unopened (cellophane wrapped) head of iceberg lettuce started to turn brown on the interior leaves. Is it still OK to eat?
Its probably the very same effect that makes all leaves brown: the reduction of chlorophyll after some time.
It could also be an enzymatic reaction by phenoloxidase: phenoloxidase catalyzes oxidation of phenolic compounds (product o-quinone)- the o-quinone can then polymerize and produces a brown pigmentation. This reaction however is more common with vegetables or fruits that have been cut an exposed to air.
It should be ok to eat anyway, but don't expect a lot of vitamins to still be present.
