Carrot

The carrot is the most widely cultivated species in the Apiaceae family (Latin: Apiaceae).

The ancient ancestor of today’s carrot (Latin: Daucus carota) was cultivated over 1,000 years ago in Central Asia and the Middle East. The carrot of that time looked very different from the modern variety, particularly in root color, which was purple. In ancient Greece, a yellow-rooted carrot appeared in Afghanistan, which, through further cultivation, developed into the first forms of the carrot we know today. Carrots spread throughout the Mediterranean and were used for medicinal purposes by the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Until the Renaissance, the carrot was not particularly popular. This was likely due to the first varieties having very hard and fibrous roots. In the early 17th century, agronomists cultivated several varieties of carrots, successfully developing an orange-rooted carrot with a much tastier flavor than its predecessors. Europeans mainly grow this variety, while in South Asia and North Africa, the purple-rooted variety remains more popular. Due to its great popularity, the carrot was the first vegetable to be canned in the early 19th century.

Today, this plant has a fleshy, thick root of intense orange color and green, feathery leaves. The root has a sweet, crunchy texture, while the leaves are bitter.

Nutritional Value of Carrots

Carrots are a healthy food used fresh, cooked, pickled (mixed with other vegetables), or preserved (sterilized, frozen, and dried). The energy value of carrots is 36 – 46 kcal / 151 – 192 kJ, with the nutritional components listed in the table.

The most important component of carrots is β-carotene, present at 4 – 12 mg/100 g of fresh carrots. Carotene gives carrots their orange color and is a pro-vitamin of vitamin A, meaning it synthesizes vitamin A in the human body. The utilization of carotene varies in our body depending on how the carrot is prepared. In raw carrots, carotene utilization is 2%, in cooked carrots, it is 18%, and in raw grated carrots, it is 82%.

Among other vitamins, carrots contain vitamin C (5 – 9 mg/100 g), vitamin E (1.5 – 3 mg/100 g), vitamin K (0.08 mg/100 g), and B vitamins, including folic acid.

Potassium is the most abundant mineral (189 – 355 mg/100g), followed by calcium (25 – 59 mg/100 g), iron (0.5 – 2.6 mg/100 g), phosphorus (20 – 43 mg/100 g), and iodine (up to 0.04 mg/100 g).

In addition to its dietary benefits as a food with favorable effects on human health, carrots are also used in cosmetics.

Table 1: Nutritional Value of Fresh Carrot Root

Morphological Characteristics of Carrots

For the carrot to transition from the vegetative to the generative phase (i.e., for the carrot to develop reproductive organs, allowing for seed development), it must undergo vernalization during the juvenile phase (young seedling phase), which involves exposure to a period of low temperatures (1 – 10°C). If a prolonged period of low temperatures occurs after sowing, unwanted premature flowering may happen in the first year of cultivation. The carrot root that bears flowers is not suitable for consumption.

The thickened root of the carrot used as food consists of the epicotyl (shortened stem), hypocotyl, and part of the true root with lateral rootlets.

The leaves, found on the shortened stem, are pinnately compound with dissected leaflets and are hairy. The leaves are on long petioles that are expanded at the base and form a rosette.

The carrot is a biennial plant, developing only vegetative parts in the first year and transitioning to the generative phase in the second year, forming reproductive parts.

The flowers are pentamerous (based on the number 5), white or yellowish, and grouped in an umbel.

The carrot fruit is a schizocarp, consisting of two single-seeded mericarps that separate.

The seed is a single-seeded fruit, small, with one gram containing 700 – 900 seeds.