Carrots belong to the Umbelliferae family and are thought to be of Asian origin.
Carrots, which are root vegetables, are divided into greenhouse and early carrots, summer and autumn carrots and late and keeping carrots.
Greenhouse and early carrots have a short root, which is usually blunt at the lower end, while later varieties have a long-pointed root. They are orange-red in color and consist of the central medulla and the outer cortex. Their color is provided by their high carotene content (carrots have the highest carotene content of all vegetable species). Since the medulla has a lower carotene and sugar content than the cortex, it is somewhat lighter in color and of lower nutritional value. For this reason, carrots with a thick cortex and a small, well-colored medulla are preferred. The relatively high sugar content gives carrots a delicate flavor.
The green foliage grows at the upper end of the root, and, in the case of early carrots (bunch carrots), is not removed. However, later varieties are sold washed without their foliage.
Quality / Duration of storage
Carrots must be free from mechanical damage and insects and of uniform color (the upper part of the root should not be green) and shape. They must not be bitter to taste or woody in texture.
Various sources state maximum duration of storage as follows:
Temperature Rel. humidity Max. duration of storage Source
0.5 – 2°C 95% 28 days [1]
0 – 1°C 95% 21 – 28 days [5]
0 – 1°C not stated 10 days [12]
The storage and transport duration of carrots cannot be markedly extended by using controlled atmosphere transport. It merely reduces the risk of the carrots becoming bitter due to the ripening gas ethylene.
Intended use
Carrots may be eaten raw or cooked with various dishes and are also used in the preparation of salads, stews and carrot juice and for canning.
Figures
(Click on the individual Figures to enlarge them.)
Photo, carrots
Figure 1 Photo, carrots
Figure 2 Drawing, carrots
Figure 3
Countries of origin
This Table shows only a selection of the most important countries of origin and should not be thought of as exhaustive.
Europe France, Poland, Italy, Great Britain, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Cyprus
Africa Algeria, Morocco
Asia Israel, China, Japan
America USA
Australia New Zealand
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Packaging
Carrots are packaged in crates, fruit crates, trays, sacks, plastic bags or nets. The content of the individual packages varies, depending on type, from 500 g (bags) to 10 kg (boxes). Sometimes the cargo is palletized. If carrots are packaged in plastic film, perforations are essential. Film packaging which is impermeable to water vapor causes carrots to respire anaerobically, which in turn results in considerable quality degradation. The symptoms of such damage are soft surfaces and an insipid flavor. Anaerobic respiration proceeds in the absence of oxygen and the energy required is obtained by fermentation.
Cargo securing
Because of its considerable impact- and pressure-sensitivity, packages of this cargo must be secured in such a way that they are prevented from damaging each other. Spaces between packages or pallets must be filled, to prevent slippage or tipping. By selecting the correct packaging size or cargo unit (area module or area module multiple), holds can be tightly loaded (without spaces).
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Risk factors and loss prevention
RF Temperature
Carrots require particular temperature, humidity/moisture and ventilation conditions (SC VII) (storage climate conditions).
A written cooling order must be obtained from the consignor before loading is begun. This order must always be complied with during the entire transport chain.
The following Table merely constitutes an estimate of appropriate temperature ranges. Temperatures may deviate from these values, depending on the particular transport conditions.
RF Humidity/Moisture
Carrots require particular temperature, humidity/moisture and ventilation conditions (SC VII) (storage climate conditions).
Designation Humidity/water content Source
Relative humidity 95% [1]
95% [5]
Water content 75 – 89.7% [1]
Maximum equilibrium moisture content 85% [1]
Carrots have to be protected from all forms of moisture (seawater, rain and condensation water), to prevent the carrots from turning soft and rotting.
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RF Ventilation
Carrots require particular temperature, humidity/moisture and ventilation conditions (SC VII) (storage climate conditions).
Recommended ventilation conditions: circulating air, 60 – 80 circulations/hour with continuous supply of fresh air, to prevent excessive concentrations of CO2, ethylene and other gases.
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RF Biotic activity
Carrots display 2nd order biotic activity.
They are living organs in which respiration processes predominate, because their supply of new nutrients has been cut off.
Care of the cargo during the voyage must be aimed at controlling respiration processes (release of CO2, water vapor, ethylene and heat) in such a way that the cargo is at the desired stage of ripeness on reaching its destination. Inadequate ventilation may result in fermentation and rotting of the cargo as a result of increased CO2 levels and inadequate supply of atmospheric oxygen (see Ventilation).
RF Gases
CO2 evolution During storage, carrots evolve CO2 by respiration processes.
Upper limit of permissible CO2 content 0.8 vol.%
Ethylene evolution
Active behavior The rate of ethylene production is very low, being below 0.1 µl/kg*h [16].
Passive behavior Ethylene sensitivity may be classified as low [16] (allelopathy).
If ventilation has been inadequate (frost) or has failed owing to a defect, life-threatening CO2 concentrations or O2 shortages may arise. Therefore, before anybody enters the hold, it must be ventilated and a gas measurement carried out.
RF Self-heating / Spontaneous combustion
No risk.
RF Odor
Active behavior Carrots have a slight, pleasant odor.
Passive behavior Carrots are highly odor-sensitive.
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RF Contamination
Active behavior Washed carrots do not cause contamination, but unwashed carrots may do.
Passive behavior The cargo is sensitive to dirt, fats and oils. The holds or containers must accordingly be clean and in a thoroughly hygienic condition before loading.
RF Mechanical influences
Carrots are sensitive to mechanical stresses. Carrots should be treated with care during cargo handling, transport and storage, since otherwise they may spoil prematurely.
RF Toxicity / Hazards to health
If ventilation has been inadequate (frost) or has failed owing to a defect, life-threatening CO2 concentrations or O2 shortages may arise. Therefore, before anybody enters the hold, it must be ventilated and a gas measurement carried out. The TLV for CO2 concentration is 0.49 vol.%.
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RF Shrinkage/Shortage
Weight loss is below 1%. However, carrots require high relative humidity, as they have a tendency to dry out.
RF Insect infestation / Diseases
Carrot fly: the carrot fly causes considerable quality degradation.
Sclerotinia rot: in carrots, the soft rot caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum produces a white mycelium with silvery droplets and hard, black spots. The root body softens from the outside inwards.
Gray mold rot: the fungus Botrytis cinerea causes gray mold rot, which is encouraged by dry storage. In addition to acquiring a coating of mold, the carrots shrink.
Fusarium rot: Fusarium rot is caused by the fungus Fusarium spec. and results in decay of the outer tissue. At particular risk are physiologically and mechanically damaged carrots in highly ventilated holds. Losses may amount to 5 – 15%. The losses are even greater in the case of carrots packaged in polyethylene film.
The quarantine regulations of the country of destination must be complied with and a phytosanitary certificate may have to be enclosed with the shipping documents. Information may be obtained from the phytosanitary authorities of the countries concerned.
Chilling damage: carrots suffer chilling damage at 0°C. The vegetables display surface cracks and the roots grow pale.
Packaging carrots and reducing plastic
Traditionally carrots are packed in several types of bags or a plastic tray closed with a flow pack or foil material. Vertical packaging in a bag with a clip is also one of the possibilities. “We noticed a shift in Scandinavia and Southern Europe towards packing carrots only in plastic bags instead of adding a tray,” Piet says. “Because the carrots are vertically packed in a plastic bag, a lot less plastic is used. This also makes it possible to use thinner foils, and there is only one type of plastic used which makes it easier to recycle.”
A packaging line for carrots processes 20-80 packages per minute depending on the wishes and demands of the customer. The carrot season starts in September, if you get in touch with our sales team now, we can inform you about the possibilities for your products. That way you can ensure that you have a new state-of-the-art packaging line by the time the harvest season starts. Get in touch with our sales team; they are happy to inform you about all the options.
Complete packing lines to pack carrots
From normal carrots to winter carrots to rainbow carrots: JASA has a packaging solution for every carrot. JASA can help you pack carrots fast and efficiently. Ensuring you’re on top of your game when the carrot season starts in September.
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Packing carrots
Before the carrots enter the packaging line, they are first brushed and washed. “After that, they are sorted by size and length. The misshaped carrots are removed”, Piet Pannekeet, explains. Using an optical sorting machine, such as the Newtec optic sorting machine, the carrots are sorted by size and quality. The bright orange ones are the high-quality carrots and packed accordingly. While broken, misshaped carrots and the carrots with black or rotten spots are removed and are destined to be cattle food.
Next, the good carrots are either packed right away, or they are temporarily stored before they are packed. “The carrots are stored in a buffer system, from which they are packed in several types of packaging,” Piet explains. “Most packages range from 500 grams to 3 kilos and sometimes even 10 to 20 kilos for the export.”
Abstract: Carrot roots are vulnerable to water loss, and proper packaging prevents desiccation and prolongs the shelf life from time of packaging until consumption. Today, Norwegian carrots are packaged in laser perforated biaxially oriented polypropylene film (BOPP). The packages are displayed at chill conditions in some grocery stores, and at room temperature in others. Previous packaging experiments (unpublished results) have shown that the CO2 level in the carrot packages can be very high (up to 40 %) after only 3 days of storage at room temperature. A range of fruit and vegetables are injured at high CO2 concentrations. Aim 1: Determination of optimal gas atmosphere in carrot packages. In an experiment at Nofima, carrot roots were packaged in films with different perforations and stored at two storage conditions for 15 days. Effect of packaging and storage conditions was analysed at the end of the storage period using chemical analysis, descriptive sensory analysis and microbial registration. Carrots in packages with high CO2 levels developed ethanol odour and taste and were more prone to microbial spoilage during the storage period. Hence, it is important to have product adapted permeability of the packages with sufficient number of perforations in order to avoid adverse impact on product quality. Aim 2: Demonstrate the use of a simple model previously developed at Nofima modelling the gas concentrations in packages for fruits and vegetables. The most important parameters are weight and respiration rate of the produce, permeability of the film and perforations and the volume of the package. The model was adapted to respiration rate data for different carrot varieties and data for packages with different types of perforations in order to optimise the gas atmosphere in packages for carrot roots stored at two storage conditions.
Sustainable carrot packaging with high recyclability
In the course of the discussion around the new packaging law and the corresponding initiatives to increase recyclability, Brocker subjected its own brand "Brocker carrots" to the test "Design for recycling". The company is proud that its packaging complies with the Green Dot's "Best Practice" criteria.
These points are some that have a positive impact on the recyclability of sustainable packaging:
- Bright coloring in plastic packaging
- Use of mono-materials instead of material mixes
- Optimized label solution for respective packaging
- Optimized closing solution for respective packaging
- Separability of components within the recycling process
For more information on this (in German): www.gruener-punkt.de/de/leistungen/design4recycling/best-practice.html
As another highlight at the start of the year, Brocker Möhren will be present at the Green Week in Berlin from 18-20 January 2019. "We are proud to be able to attend Germany's largest consumer trade fair for the fourth time, especially this year, and look forward to the busy first weekend of the trade fair. In addition to many activities around the carrots, we will be showing our "My carrots" initiative this year and the famous mascot Max Möhren! "Explains Peter Boley (Quality Manager and Marketing Manager). You will find us as usual in the North Rhine-Westphalia hall of No. 5.2.a at booth 176. You can also follow our activities at # BrockerMöhren on Facebook. We are looking forward to your visit.
Our carrot bags
Hello dear reader, if you're here to find out more about our new eco packaging for carrots, you've come to the right place. Pull up a chair and we'll begin. You may even have a few questions. Through the magic of guessing, we've thought of (hopefully) most things you might ask. Here we go.
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What’s it all about?
Our carrots now come to you in a compostable biodegradable bio-polyester bag. This breathable bag keeps the carrots as fresh as possible by helping the carrots keep their moisture and stop condensation forming. It’s pretty exciting stuff, and we’re the first company in the UK to use this pioneering packaging.
Why did we start looking
at new and extra packaging?
We had heard from our veg boxers (that’s you) that carrots were going ‘bendy’ from time to time. So we’ve found a brilliant way to make sure they stay fresh and crisp.
Why are the bags so much
better than other packaging?
They’re compostable and biodegradable.
Made in a carbon neutral factory which is powered solely by wind and heat.
Keeps veg fresher for longer and so reduces food waste.
What does compostable and
biodegradable mean?
This means that the bags degrade and disintegrate under home and industrial compost conditions, complying with (official cap on for this bit) the European standard EN13432. When they break down under specific composting conditions they turn into water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and biomass.
How is it best to
compost these bags?
Pop them in your normal composting bin or green waste that your council collects but check with them first. The bags will compost faster in industrial composting processes, But if you pop them in your home compost make sure it’s “hot” and it will disintegrate on its own time too.
Wait a second, I don’t compost.
What do I do?
If you can’t compost at home then please leave these bags out for your driver when you return your boxes and we’ll collect them for you. Or just put them on your general waste (not in the recycling bin).