Carrots are fascinating root vegetables. Though most only know them as orange in colour, nothing could be further from the truth. Purple carrots (see pic) that are almost black, often orange or white inside, originate from Turkey, Middle East and the Far East. They contain much more beta carotene than their orange cousins. Purple carrots possess an entirely different class of pigments from the other carrot colours - anthocyanins - which act as powerful antioxidants. Red carrots starting in India but later introduced to Japan derive their colour mainly from lycopene, a type of carotene believed to guard against heart disease and some cancers. Yellow carrots get tehir colour from lutein and accumulate xanthophylls, pigments similar to beta-carotene that support good eye health 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 (per Mackevic, 1929)
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 13:05:05 +0000
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