QUALITY OF CARROTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WITH RESPECT TO HARVESTER AND PACKHOUSE DAMAGE

Mechanical damage to carrots during lifting and processing in the packhouse leads to the loss of 20–50% of the roots.
Harvester and packhouse lines have been examined to assess the type and degree of damage caused.
Breaks due to impacts were found to be the most significant injury type.

Simple drop tests and pendulum impact tests have shown that roots with a thin core break more readily than those with a thick core, and that they break predominantly at the site of a lateral root.
More energy is needed to fracture peeled (i.e. very smooth) roots than intact ones.

Basic mechanical properties of various portions of roots have been determined in compression tests using a Universal Testing Machine.
Loading rate had a significant effect on mechanical properties, but there was no effect due to temperature in the range 4–21°C. The validity of using small samples of roots to predict the behaviour of intact carrots is discussed.

Variability in tissue composition and lateral root distribution has been studied, and discussed in relation to damage susceptibility.

Symposium on Quality of Vegetables

S. Millington

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1984.163.13