STORAGE OF CARROTS (VARIETY ‘NANTAISE): THE INFLUENCE OF THE STORAGE ATMOSPHERE ON FLAVOUR, DECAY AND CONTENT OF SUCROSE, GLUCOSE AND FRUCTOSE

During the past three years we investigated the influence of various storage atmospheres:

1. air

2. 1.0 – 1.5 % O₂ (rest N₂)

3. 3.0 % CO₂ and 2 – 3 % O₂ (rest N₂)

4. 6 % CO₂ and 2 – 3 % O₂ (rest N₂).

Results: after 3 months and particularly after 6 months it was found that the taste of those carrots which had been kept in (a) was much worse as compared to those kept in (b), (c) and (d). The carrots in (a) were less sweet and had a bitter taste.

Regarding wastage, the influence of the atmosphere was of minor degree in all samples.

The results obtained from the gas chromatographic analyses have shown that a gas mixture of about 3 % O₂ and 3 – 6 % CO₂ (rest N₂) represented the optimal storage atmosphere for this variety of carrots.
Under these conditions, the loss of sucrose, which is the decisive factor in determining the taste quality of carrots, could be limited to about 20 % over a storage time of six months.
However, the hydrolytic decomposition of sucrose content of the control batch kept in air was about 75 %.

Symposium on Vegetable Storage

H. Hansen, G. Rumpf

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1974.38.24