Carrot factors

Fig. 1. Properties of foods near 2.45 GHz as a function of temperature, where A represents distilled water B, cooked carrots C, mashed potatoes D, cooked ham E, raw beef F, cooked beef and G, com oil (a) dielectric constants and (b) load factors, e = etan6 (32).

To this end, we designed experiments in which conditions were varied in order to induce the extremes of growth or differentiation into the crop. In Table 5.4 we present an overview of the experiments with the presumed effects of varying the cultivation factors on the life processes. By comparing the results with our expectations, we largely completed step 4 of the validation course for apple and carrot. 

We measured many properties of the soil, the growing crop and the carrots, after harvest and after storage. The results were studied in relation to the management factors, and mutual correlations were computed. This procedure enabled us to contribute to the validation of the IQC, the validation of the new parameters and the evaluation of carrot management. Details of the methods and results of the carrot experiments are described elsewhere (Northolt et al., 2004). As with apple, we only mention some of the results here that are relevant to the IQC. 

Carotene content is a critical factor for several fruits and vegetables such as carrots, because consumers consider this vegetable as a major single source of provitamin A, providing 17% of the total vitamin A consumption (Barry-Ryan and O Beirne 2000). Recently, the demand for carotenoids, especially (3-carotene, has increased because of its health benefits (Ruiz-Cruz and others 2007). 

Hatzopoulos, P., Franz, G., Choy, L. Sung, R.Z. (1990). Interaction of nuclear factors with upstream sequences of a lipid body membrane protein gene from carrot. The Plant Cell 2, 457-67. 

The interrelations of some of these factors are well illustrated (Figure 13.1) by the results obtained from air-drying of carrot cubes by Eichner and Wolf.577 The process falls into four stages ... 

Common unit operations of food processing are reported to have only minor effects on the carotenoids (Borenstein and Bunnell 1967). The carotenoid-protein complexes are generally more stable than the free carotenoids. Because carotenoids are highly unsaturated, oxygen and light are major factors in their breakdown. Blanching destroys enzymes that cause carotenoid destruction. Carotenoids in frozen or heat-sterilized foods are quite stable. The stability of carotenoids in dehydrated foods is poor, unless the food is packaged in inert gas. A notable exception is dried apricots, which keep their color well. Dehydrated carrots fade rapidly. 

Root uptake has been proven to be an important pathway for contaminants with intermediate octanol-water partitioning coefficients (Aiow)- Variable uptake of an organic compound by different plants has been observed. Plant species such as Daucus carota (carrot) and Pastinaca sativa (parsnip) with swollen storage roots did not translocate chemicals as well as expected from barley experiments. While the lipid content was considered a factor, plant structure, root types, and other properties may all play a role. The effect of the chemical itself was best illustrated by the increasing root concentration factor (RCF) and the bell-shaped transpiration stream concentration factors (TSCF) relative to logAiow- The physiochemical properties of compounds, including the Ko, solubility, and... 

We have isolated a crude CF preparation produced by carrot cells after dialysis against distilled water (16). At variance with the results of Street on the volatile nature of conditioning factors, we have demonstrated that CF(s) isolated from carrot cultures could be lyophilized and remain indefinitely active if stored at -20 °C. This finding is obviously useful, because it allows fractionation of the crude preparation to find an active fraction and possible identification of the chemical structure. 

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