Carrot Colours - The Pigment Power of Carrots
Overview - The cultivated carrot is believed to originate from Afghanistan before
the 900s, as this area is described as the primary centre of greatest carrot
diversity (Mackevic 1929), Turkey being proposed as a secondary centre of origin
(Banga 1963). The first cultivated carrots exhibited purple or yellow roots.
Carrot cultivation spread to Spain in the 1100s via the Middle East and North
Africa. In Europe, genetic improvement led to a wide variety of cultivars. White
and orange-coloured carrots were first described in Western Europe in the early
1600s (Banga 1963). Concomitantly, the Asiatic carrot was developed from the
Afghan type and a red type appeared in China and India around the 1700s (Laufer
1919; Shinohara 1984). According to this history, it makes sense to envisage
that colour should be considered as a structural factor in carrot germplasm.
Carrots, Daucus carota, need not be orange. As a matter of fact, the orange carrot is a relative newcomer on the scene. Carrots were originally either purple or white. Selection and hybridization in the 16th century brought us the vitamin-packed orange carrot we know today.
But carrots are now in the process of becoming more colourful once again. Today, in both markets and seed catalogues, you can find not only orange carrots, but red, yellow, white and purple varieties. With new research that points out the value of the micronutrients in various vegetable pigments, it is undoubtedly good to eat a variety of colours of carrots.
Have you ever seen a purple carrot? How about white, yellow, red or black? Most people haven't, even though such carrots have existed for hundreds of years. They are available in good health food stores, often called "Rainbow Packs".
It is considered that
Carrots were originally purple or white with a thin root, then a mutant occurred which
removed the purple pigmentation resulting in a new race of yellow carrots. A
tale, probably apocryphal, has it that the orange carrot was specifically bred in the
Netherlands in the seventeenth century to honour William of Orange. Though the
stabilised and domesticated orange carrot does date from the sixteenth century Netherlands, it is unlikely
that honouring
William of Orange had anything to do with it! Read the full history of
carrot colour here.
The
orange colour did not become popular until the 1500's when
Dutch growers developed the mutant vegetable by selective breeding to make it
less bitter than the yellow varieties, and then it was said to be adopted it as the Royal
vegetable in honour of the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal
Family, although there is no documentary evidence for this latter "fact". The
first carrots were grown for medicinal purposes, perhaps the medicine tasted
good! The main reason
why cooks and housewives preferred orange carrots was because they kept their
colour after cooking and did not leave cookware with an unpleasant colour.
There is a lot more information about the history of carrots in a separate page here, including the historical
timeline.
The history of domestication of the orange carrot is
here.
Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that pigments in these
colourful carrots, which taste just like regular carrots, may help prevent heart
disease and cancer, and reduce cholesterol. Studies examining the health
benefits of fruits and vegetables are revealing the disease-preventive powers of
the pigments that give plants their distinctive colours.
Orange carrots get their colour from beta carotene, a pigment the body converts
to vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency, although rare in the United States, poses
a major public health problem in developing countries second only to protein
malnutrition.
According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency partially
or totally blinds nearly 350,000 children from more than 75 countries every
year. Roughly 60 percent of these children die within months of going blind.
However, vitamin A deficiency is preventable.
Read the article published by the Agricultural Research Service of USDA -
"Carrots with Character"
(opens in new page).
More recently (2010) the carrot pigment project where Researchers are
examining the nutritional profile of all the carrot colours -
read more
The colour orange stimulates the appetite - read more about the colour of
adventure and social communication, and empower yourself with colour psychology
here.
Why are orange carrots, the colour orange? -
it's the Beta Carotene - Carrots
are orange because they absorb certain wavelengths of light more efficiently
than others. Beta-carotene is the main pigment and is mainly absorbs in the
400-500nm region of the visible spectrum with a peak absorption at about 450nm. Carotenoids are one of the most important groups of natural pigments. They cause
the yellow/orange colours of many fruit and vegetables. Though beta-carotene is
most abundant in carrots it is also found in pumpkins, apricots and nectarines.
Dark green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli are another good source. In
these the orange colour is masked by the green colour of chlorophyll. This can
be seen in leaves; in autumn, when the leaves die, the chlorophyll breaks down,
and the yellow/red colours of the more stable carotenoids can be seen.
Album Benary. (Erfurt) 1876 Identification (left to right): Top row - 1. Long Orange Belgian, green top; Bottom row - 7. Earliest red Duwick, for forcing;
Factors Affecting the Colour of Carrots
1. Temperatures above and below the optimum (above 70° and below 60°F)
reduce the colour of carrots.
2. Spring and summer carrots are often of better colour than autumn and winter.
3. Carrots grown on sandy soils and soils high in organic matter have been shown
to produce
a higher colour than carrots grown on silt loams.
4. Excessive watering decreases the colour.
5. Reducing the number of daylight hours can reduce the colour.
6.
Colour is more intense in the older portions of the root.
It decreases from
the epidermis and centre toward the cambium, and from the top to the bottom.
Carotenoid Content J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004, 52, 3417
The Unique Properties of all the Colours -
Each unique colour of carrots has different pigments and health benefits.
Coloured carrots are becoming popular again and it is hoped that their colourful
appearance will entice young children (and adults!) to eat a more balanced diet
and reap the health rewards from these vegetables. Studies have been carried out in the USA on the differing properties of different
coloured carrots.
Orange Carrots
contain beta carotene, with some alpha-carotene, both of which are
orange pigments. High in Vitamin A essential for well-being, healthy eyes.
These carrots originate from Europe and the Middle East. Like all carrots
these are a good source of fibre, which is vital for healthy
gastrointestinal tracts and is linked to reducing cholesterol. Their
pre-dominant pigment is betacarotene; the orange pigment which is
converted by the liver to vitamin A which is important for healthy vision.
It forms rhodopsin, which the eye needs to see in dim light. This is
accomplished by raising the effectiveness of the light sensitive area of
the retina. Vitamin A also maintains the surface linings of the
respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts, and regulates the immune
system by helping white blood cells fight infections.
Yellow carrots contain xanthophylls and
lutene, pigments
similar to beta carotene, which help develop healthy eyes aid in the fight
against macular degeneration and may prevent lung and other cancers
and reduce the risk of astherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
These came from the Middle East. The major pigment found in the yellow
carrots is xanthophyll which helps develop healthy eyes. Studies have
shown that intake of xanthophyll-rich foods are associated with a
significant reduction in the risk for cataract (up to 20%) and for
age-related macular degeneration (up to 40%) (Moeller, Jacques &
Blumberg 2000).
Red carrots are tinted by lycopene, (another form
of carotene) a pigment also found in tomatoes and watermelon; lycopene is
associated with the reduced risk of macular degeneration, serum lipid
oxidation, helps prevent heart disease and a wide variety of cancers including prostate cancer. Originally
from India and China. Red carrots contain the pigment known as lycopene
which has been associated with a lowered risk of prostate cancer in men
and heart disease. It also helps maintain healthy skin.
Purple carrots (usually orange inside) have
even more beta carotene than their orange cousins, and get
their pigment from an entirely different class, the anthocyanins, these pigments
act as powerful antioxidants that protect key cell components, grabbing and holding on to harmful free radicals
in the body. Anthocyanins also help prevent heart disease by slowing blood
clotting and are good anti inflammatory agents. These originate
from Turkey, and the Middle and Far East. (See also
the purple carrot page)
The Purple Haze variety have a more purple/red and white centre.
Purple carrots neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals which
disrupt the structure of other molecules leading to cellular damage,
aging, and various health problems. Anti-inflammatory properties of
anthocyanins have also been observed. They neutralize enzymes that destroy
connective tissue and they repair damaged proteins in blood vessel walls.
Finally, anthocyanins may prevent heart disease by slowing blood clotting
and inhibiting the absorption of LDL, “the bad cholesterol.” The Black variety has anti-bacterial and anti-fungicidal
properties and oil made from its seed can help control scalp itchiness and
provides essential nutrients for hair growth. The ancient black carrot has
been making a comeback, not so much for culinary purposes but as a source of
natural food colorants.
These originate from Turkey, and the Middle and Far East.
(Black carrot page here)
Important Note - The chemical constituents of carrots are not
there by chance, but perform a function. Many constituents of the orange
carrot we now cultivate are also in the white root of the wild carrot,
Queen Anne's lace, from which domestic carrot originated. This is true of falcarinol, falcarindiol, and myristicin. Carotene (present in small
amounts in Queen Anne's lace) has been increased by centuries of
selection. Volatile oils have been decreased in this process. Plant
scientists must continue to monitor all known constituents nutritive and
non-nutritive - as new cultivars of the carrot are developed to keep our
vegetables nutritious and safe. Plant breeding for the sake of high
yields, appearance, and keeping quality will not be sufficient.
Ernst Benary,
(1819-1893) -
2. Transparent White;
3. Scarlet Intermediate;
4. Semi long Scarlet Obtuse, for forcing;
5. Long yellow;
6. Large White Belgian, green top;
8. Long Red Erfurt;
9. Improved Long
Red Altringham [sic];
10. Long Red Surrey;
11. Semi-long Scarlet Nantes, or
Stump-rooted;
12. Early Long Scarlet, short-leaved;
13. Earliest Scarlet
French Horn
Extract from Carotenoid Profiles and Consumer Sensory Evaluation of
Speciality Carrots, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2004
White carrots lack any pigmentation, but do contain
other health-promoting substances called phytochemicals, natural bioactive
compounds found in plant foods that work with nutrients and dietary fibre
to protect against disease. One might say these
are the least healthy of carrots. They originate from Afghanistan, Iran,
Pakistan. These chemicals may be important in reducing the risk of
atherosclerosis , which is the build up of fatty deposits in artery walls.
White carrots are preferably used in baby foods to prevent them from
forming orange skin. (See also
the white carrot page)
Black Carrots
contain anthocyanins, part of the flavonoid family with antioxidant
properties. Flavonoids are currently under investigation as anticancer
compounds, as free radical scavengers in living systems, as well as
inhibitors of LDL (the bad) cholesterol and the black carrot anthocyanins
are especially active.
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