Conventional Carrot Research Articles

Changes of physical and chemical parameters of organic and conventional carrots during storage

In industrialised countries, around 670 million tonnes of food are lost every year, much of it still fit for human consumption. Due to the special nutrient management of organic farming, root vegetables have a higher dry matter content and a lower nitrate content, which also affects their shelf-life. The effect of storage under domestic conditions was investigated in our experiments on organic and conventional carrot lots. It was found that packaged organic carrots in a 4°C environment showed the longest shelf life, lowest nitrate content and weight loss during household storage. The results of the experiment may contribute to lower food waste through changes in consumer habits.

A Study on Cultivation and Marketing of Organic and Conventional Vegetables in the Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu

Aims: To find out the cost of cultivation, marketing costs, marketing margins, price spread, marketing efficiency and constraints faced by organic and conventional Carrot and Potato growing farmers.
 Study Design: Multistage Sampling was used.
 Place and Duration of Study: The Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu was chosen for the research. A primary survey was conducted to gather first-hand information related to the study.
 Methodology: The costs and returns, the Acharyas-Agarwal’s method and Shepherd’s method of Marketing efficiency and the Response priority index were used in this study.
 Results: The cost of cultivation of organically and conventionally grown carrot were Rs.6,28,165.24 and Rs.6,50,567.84 with B: C ratios of 3.56 and 2.15 respectively. The cost of cultivation of organically and conventionally grown potato were Rs.4,97,869.79 and Rs.5,48,894.71 with B: C ratios of 2.37 and 1.71 respectively. Organic vegetable marketing was done through producer-retailer-consumer and producer-consumer channels. For conventional vegetables, producer-wholesaler-retailer-consumer and producer-retailer-consumer were the marketing channels. The Acharyas-Agarwal’s and Shepherd’s method of marketing efficiencies in channel-I and II for organic carrot were 1.97, 7.37, 13.07 and 13.07 respectively and for conventional, the marketing efficiencies in Channel – I and II of carrot were 0.98, 2.16, 1.52 and 3.47 respectively. The marketing efficiencies measured by the Acharyas-Agarwal’s and Shepherd’s method in channel I and II of organically grown potato were 1.71, 7.59, 15.97, and 15.97 respectively and for conventionally grown potato, they were 1.21, 2.36, 1.52 and 3.08 respectively. The major constraints faced by organic and conventional farming farmers were lack of awareness on certification procedures and pests and disease incidence respectively.
 Conclusion: As major inputs were prepared in the field, the cost of cultivation for organically grown carrot and potato is lower than for conventionally grown carrot and potato. They have high B:C ratios since organic produce fetches a higher price than conventional produce. The B:C ratio for conventional carrot indicates higher returns than potato. The channel – II in organic and conventional marketing of carrot and potato has higher marketing efficiency because they have less intermediaries.

Are Organic Certified Carrots Richer in Health-Promoting Phenolics and Carotenoids than the Conventionally Grown Ones?

The aim of the present study was to determine the concentrations of polyphenols and carotenoids by means of HPLC/UV-Vis in certified organic and non-organic carrots (Daucus carota L.) of two cultivars (Flacoro and Nantejska). The analyzed carrot root samples contained, on average, 4.29 ± 0.83 mg/100g f.w. of carotenoids (mainly β-carotene) and 9.09 ± 2.97 mg/100g f.w. of polyphenols, including 4.44 ± 1.42 mg/100g f.w. of phenolic acids and 4.65 ± 1.96 mg/100g f.w. of flavonoids. Significant effects of the production system on the carotenoids (total) and β-carotene concentration were found, with higher concentrations of these compounds generally identified in conventionally cultivated roots (4.67 ± 0.88 mg/100g f.w.) vs. organically grown ones (4.08 ± 0.74 mg/100g f.w.). There was a noticeable inter-sample (inter-farm) variation in the concentration of polyphenols in carrot roots. Despite a general trend towards higher concentrations of these compounds in the organic carrots (9.33 ± 3.17 mg/100g f.w.) vs. conventional carrots (8.64 ± 2.58 mg/100g f.w.), and in those of Nantejska (9.60 ± 2.87 mg/100g f.w.) vs. Flacoro (8.46 ± 3.02 mg/100g f.w.) cultivar, no consistent, statistically significant impact of the production system and/or cultivar on the level of these bioactive compounds was identified. More efforts should be encouraged to ensure that organic crops reaching the market consistently contain the expected high levels of health-promoting bioactive compounds, which could be brought through their shelf-life and all processing steps, in order to meet consumers’ expectations and provide the expected health benefits.

Postharvest Wounding Stress in Horticultural Crops as a Tool for Designing Novel Functional Foods and Beverages with Enhanced Nutraceutical Content: Carrot Juice as a Case Study.

Phenolic compounds have potential to prevent and treat chronic degenerative diseases (CDDs). A phenolic-rich carrot juice was produced by the application of wounding stress. The effects of wounding intensity, storage, peeling, blanching, filtration, and pasteurization over physicochemical, nutritional, nutraceutical, and sensory properties of carrot juice were evaluated. Juices from unpeeled carrots had 7% to 40% more minerals, 0.46 to 1.6 less °Brix, and 1.16× more titratable acidity. The carrot juice with the highest phenolic content was obtained by cutting unpeeled carrots into slices, storing them (48 hr, 15 °C), and blanching them thereafter (80 °C, 6 min; stressed unpeeled carrot juice, SUCJ). SUCJ had 3,600% more chlorogenic acid, 195% more total phenolics, and similar carotenoid content than conventional carrot juice. Sensory evaluation of SUCJ was acceptable and willingness to pay increased by providing information about health benefits. SUCJ has potential as a functional beverage that could aid in the prevention and treatment of CDDs. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Consumers are increasingly demanding foods and beverages that are healthier, natural, safe, and GMO-free. Abiotic stresses can enhance greatly the nutraceutical content of crops without the need of genetic engineering or dangerous chemicals. These crops could be used as raw materials to produce foods and beverages of higher nutraceutical quality. An easy-to-control abiotic stress is wounding stress, which consists of mechanically damaging the plant tissue (for example, cutting). We applied wounding stress to carrot to produce a phenolic-rich carrot juice. This juice could aid in the prevention or treatment of chronic degenerative diseases.

The price relationship between organic and non-organic vegetables in the U.S.: evidence from Nielsen scanner data

ABSTRACTThis study investigates price relationships between organic and conventional carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce in the U.S. utilizing Nielsen scanner data from 2006–2015. We employ a threshold vector error correction model (TVECM), threshold vector autoregressive model (TVAR), and threshold cointegration test to test whether market integration exists between organic and conventional vegetables as well as the existence of asymmetric price transmission. The results find positive long-run relationships between organic and conventional prices of carrots and tomatoes and show the existence of asymmetric price transmission in price pairs of lettuce and tomatoes. Our findings suggest that the price relationship between organic and conventional vegetables varies by characteristics, such as shelf life, volatility in the price premium, and substitutability.

The Price Relationship between Organic and Non-Organic Vegetables in the U.S.: Evidence from Nielsen Scanner Data

This study investigates price relationships between organic and conventional carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce in the U.S. utilizing Nielsen scanner data from 2006 to 2015. We employ a threshold vector error correction model (TVECM), threshold vector autoregressive model (TVAR), and threshold cointegration test to test whether market integration exists between organic and conventional vegetables as well as the existence of asymmetric price transmission. The results find positive long-run relationships between organic and conventional prices of carrots and tomatoes and show the existence of asymmetric price transmission in price pairs of lettuce and tomatoes. Our findings suggest that the price relationship between organic and conventional vegetables varies by characteristics, such as shelf life and volatility in the price premium. Furthermore, the results indicate that consumers in the U.S. recognize organic and conventional carrots and tomatoes as partially substitutable goods, while U.S. consumers consider organic and conventional lettuces as different goods (no cross-price relationship).

English

The objective of this research was to compare the physical and chemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of organic and conventional carrot (Daucus carota), green pepper (Capsicum annuum) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Five representative samples of conventional vegetables, certified organic and non-certified organic vegetables were gotten from farms and supermarkets in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The result shows that the organic carrot showed higher acidity (0.11 g % citric acid) and total sugar (5.68 g %) than those found in standard samples and certified organic ones (p 0.05). It was observed that the vitamin C levels in carrot samples levels had no significant difference between the different forms of production (p>0.05). Conventional lettuce and certified organic pepper showed higher vitamin C than the other samples (p 0.05). Carrot and green pepper, with seal certification or not, showed higher capacity to reduce DPPH than the conventional ones, this suggests that the form of cultivation has a direct relationship with the nutritional values of the vegetables. Key words: Carrot, lettuce, green pepper; organic, conventional, antioxidant activity, physico-chemical analysis.

Back to Basics: Breeding plants for organic agriculture

Back to Basics: Breeding plants for organic agriculture

Impact of organic and conventional carrots on intestinal and peripheral immunity

Studies on health effects of organic (ORG) products are still limited and often contradictory. We have investigated the impact of ORG and conventional (CV) carrots from two consecutive harvest years on mouse peripheral and intestinal immunity. Danish carrots (Bolero variety) were grown in three ORG (O1, O2 and O3) and one CV cropping system (D-CV). Italian carrots (Maestro and Excelso varieties) were grown in one ORG and one CV field for each variety. Immune phenotypes of blood, spleen and intestinal lymphocytes, and cytokine serum levels were analyzed in mice fed the different carrots for 30 days. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed in mice fed the Danish carrots. The consumption of the 'more organic' O2 and O3 carrots induced some changes in lymphocyte populations, including an increase in regulatory T cells. In Italian carrots more differences between ORG and CV were observed in the first as compared to the second year. No relevant differences were observed in cytokine secretion. PCA showed a clear separation among mice fed the O1, O2, O3 and D-CV carrots. Although a great variability was observed between the two years, an immune stimulation was found after the ORG carrot consumption.

Evaluation of sensory acceptability and storage stability of frozen carrot based dessert.

In the present study a recipe for frozen carrot based dessert (carrot halwa) was standardized on the basis of sensory characteristics such as appearance, odor, texture, taste and overall acceptability (OAA). The product was developed without addition of pure ghee to improve the storage stability under frozen conditions (-20°C). Sensory properties of the developed product (OAA score = 8.60) were found to be equally good as compared to the conventional carrot halwa (OAA score = 8.75) which was prepared using pure ghee. From the physico-chemical analysis the developed product was found to have lower amount of fat (ca. 12%) than the conventional one. During the frozen storage, microbial growth in the product was found to be non-significant (P > 0.05). The free fatty acid content, peroxide value and thiobarbituric acid content increased during frozen storage of 15months. But the increase was insignificant. Loss in total carotenoids content of the product was found to be 60.5% from initial value at the end of 15months frozen storage.

Supervised control of the carrot fly in the Netherlands; insights from a dirty dataset1

‘De Groene Vlieg’ (the Green Fly) is an independent company offering various services concerning integrated pest management in open field agriculture in the Netherlands. One such service is the supervised control of carrot fly (Psila rosae). From 1993 to 2008 the company has monitored the carrot fly population on a total of nearly 65 000 hectares resulting in an extensive dataset. The data was not collected according to proper experimental methods, hence it is titled dirty, but the size of the dataset does allow valuable insights to be gained. De Groene Vlieg monitors the carrot fly population on each field separately. Sticky traps are collected weekly and flies are counted in the laboratory. Growers receive messages containing advice regarding when to apply insecticides and they are responsible for doing so. Overall, over a third of the fields require no spraying at all and for 75% of the fields growers are advised to spray three times or less. One insight from the dataset is that small carrots require more insecticide treatments than large carrots (‘winter carrots’). Reasons for this difference are probably both regional and cultural. Additionally, focusing on a small and uniform area reveals that carrot fly population dynamics are highly variable between years. Another insight is that sowing date has a large effect on the number of insecticide sprayings that are required. Fields sown before the first flight have more flies in the second flight than fields sown later. Comparison of biological and conventional carrot fields shows that carrot fly populations are similar for the first flight. However, during the second flight the number of flies is much higher on organic fields than on conventional ones. Finally, insecticide seed treatment with chlorfenvinphos to control the reproduction of the first flight appears slightly more efficient than supervised control. However, supervised control seems as efficient as seed treatment with clothianidin and beta cyfluthrin.

Organic premiums of US fresh produce

AbstractThe study uses the 2005 Nielsen Homescan panel data to estimate price premiums and discounts associated with product attributes, market factors, and consumer characteristics, focusing on the organic attribute for five major fresh fruits and five major fresh vegetables in the United States. The results suggest that the organic attribute commands a significant price premium, which varies greatly from 13 cents per pound for bananas to 86 cents per pound for strawberries among fresh fruits and from 13 cents per pound for onions to 50 cents per pound for peppers among fresh vegetables. In terms of percentages, the estimated organic price premiums vary from 20% above prices paid for conventional grapes to 42% for strawberries among fresh fruits and from 15% above prices paid for conventional carrots and tomatoes to 60% for potatoes. Furthermore, prices paid for fresh produce are found to vary by other product attributes, market factors, and household characteristics.

ORGANIC FARMING AS A SYSTEM TO PROVIDE BETTER VEGETABLE QUALITY

ORGANIC FARMING AS A SYSTEM TO PROVIDE BETTER VEGETABLE QUALITY

Abundance and diversity of beneficial arthropods in conventional and “organic” carrot crops in New Zealand

Abstract The abundance and ecological diversity of selected groups of beneficial arthropods were compared between 16 organic and 17 conventional carrot (Daucus carota L.) fields in the Manawatu (North Island) and Canterbury and Nelson (South Island) areas of New Zealand using a suction sampler. Organic fields had significantly higher numbers of Hymenoptera: Parasitica, Staphylinidae (Coleoptera), and Neuroptera (Hemerobiidae) compared with conventional fields. Organic fields also had a significantly more diverse predatory and parasitic community than did conventional fields, as measured by the “Sequential Comparison Index”. The implications of these results for biological control of pests in conventional and organic crops are discussed.