Vegetables World : Carrot

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Carrot (Daucus carota L., var. sativus Hoffm.) is the major vegetable umbellifer cultivated worldwide. It has a crisp texture when fresh. The most commonly eaten part of a carrot is a taproot, although the greens are sometimes eaten as well. It is a domesticated form of the wild carrot Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. The domestic carrot has been selectively bred for its greatly enlarged and more palatable, less woody-textured edible taproot. Cultivated carrots can be separated into two types: eastern/Asiatic and western. Eastern/Asiatic carrots have reddish purple (anthocyanin-containing) or yellow roots, pubescent leaves which give a grey-green appearance, and a tendency for early flowering. Western carrots have orange, yellow, red or white roots, less pubescent green leaves, and less tendency to bolt without extended exposure to low temperatures. (Rubatzky and Quiros, 1999)

The chemical composition of carrot roots for most cultivars is about 88% water, 7% sugar, 1% fibre, 1% protein, 1% ash and 0.2% fat. Thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and vitamin C are also present in appreciable amounts Crude fibre in carrot roots consists of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, with cellulose being the most abundant. Although reference is sometimes made to starch in carrots (Holland et al., 1992) the starch content of roots is generally close to nil. The anthocyanin content in carrot roots can vary from trace amounts in orange roots to more than 1700 mg kg^–1 in purple or black carrots (Mazza and Miniati, 1993).