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Researchers working on a better carrot

The ubiquitous carrot is no longer considered a boring vegetable staple but has become a trendy snack food among consumers looking to improve their health.

Health factors have led to an increase in popularity for the humble carrot. In 1975, North Americans consumed an average of four pounds of carrots per person per year. By 2007, that had increased to 12 pounds per person.

The ubiquitous carrot is no longer considered a boring vegetable staple but has become a trendy snack food among consumers looking to improve their health.

Carrots have been grown as a cultivated crop for approximately 1,100 years, says researcher Philipp Simon, with the horticulture department at the University of Wisconsin. And they were not always a brilliant orange in colour, nor the slender uniform size seen in grocery stores. The heritage carrots of old grew to all shapes and sizes and were generally white, red-white, purple, red, yellow, as well as orange.

Coming from the species Daucus carota, carrots are naturally high in sugar, minerals, antioxidants and provide a rich source of dietary fibre. Carrots are also an excellent source of beta-carotene, which the body metabolises into vitamin A.

These health factors have led to their increasing growth in popularity. In 1975, North Americans consumed an average of four pounds of carrots per person per year. By 2007, that had increased to 12 pounds per person.

“The development of the baby carrot has led to the boom we’re seeing now,” says Simon. “They’re convenient and easy to eat. Just open the bag and pop them in your mouth.”

Consumers can also get their hit of beta-carotene through the convenience of carrot juice. While Simon is not sure who the main juice consumers are, he says that market segment has been growing steadily.

Simon says carrots have other uses in the market place. Their colour pigments, in particular purple, are increasingly being used for food colouring. Like beets, carrots can be used to produce sugar; and like corn, they can be used as a bio-fuel. The oil from carrot seeds has also proved to be excellent lubricant in industrial applications.

Carrots were left relatively untouched by science until the 1960s when the first successfully commercial hybrids were developed. “Today, there are good breeding programs in the U.S. and the European Union. We share our molecular breeding tools and it’s been good for them, good for us,” says Simon.
“Consumers want high carotene carrots but they want good taste too,” he adds. Researchers continue to work on reducing the ‘turpentine taste’ and ‘woody texture’ that is occasionally found in carrots, while improving the sweetness and flavour.

Researchers also have a wish list of characteristics they would like to see in growing the crop, such as resistance to root knot nematode. They are also working on better alternaria leaf blight controls, and improving resistance to bolting.

“In these days of water shortages, we’re also working on hybrids that are more tolerant to heat and drought,” says Simon. “Having a 60-day crop would also be nice but maybe that’s a dream.”

Carrots are an ideal crop for large or small operations, and global production has been increasing steadily, says Simon. Brazil alone has increased its carrot production by 35 per cent in the last 10 years, he notes.

“There’s a great potential here to improve this crop.”

And of his wish list, he believes, “it can be done. There are still issues to face and problems to deal with, but there is also a very promising future for this crop.”

Simon is also part of a research team that includes researchers with the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Wisconsin. The team recently published results in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry of research they have conducted examining the antioxidant activity and capacity of seven coloured carrot cultivars. The researchers looked at different contents of antioxidants, including anthocyanins, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and carotenoids. Their results showed that anthocyanins were the major antioxidants in purple-yellow and purple-orange carrots while chlorogenic acid was a major antioxidant in all the carrot cultivars. As a result, purple-yellow carrots had the highest antioxidant capacity, followed by purple-orange carrots. All of the other colours and varieties were not significantly different in their antioxidant capacities.

“This information is useful for consumers and may help horticulturalists develop carrots with higher antioxidant capacity,” the researchers concluded.

The pigment power in carrot colours White carrots • Health benefits – none from the pigment but fiber helps in digestive health • Pigment – no pigment, like wild carrot (Queen Anne’s Lace) • Origin – Northern Europe, 1600s Orange carrots • Health benefits – Vitamin A, essential for healthy eyes and a health immune system • Pigment – beta and alpha carotene • Origin – Europe and the Middle East, 1600s Purple-orange  carrots • Health benefits – helps prevent heart disease and strokes, antioxidant ties up harmful free radicals, Vitamin A activity • Pigment – Anthocycanin, beta and alpha carotene • Origin – Afghanistan, Turkey and the Middle East, 900s Red carrots • Health benefits – helps prevent cancer, especially prostate; Vitamin A activity • Pigment – lycopene (another carotenoid) and beta carotene • Origin – India, China and Japan, 1700s Yellow carrots • Health benefits – eye health (especially macular degeneration) and cancer prevention • Pigment – xanthophylls (other carotenoids), especially lutein • Origin – Afghanistan, Turkey and the Middle East, 900s Information courtesy of Philipp Simon, USDA and University of Wisconsin