Carrots washed and packed by hand or machine and stored at 2, 10 or 20 • C in three different package types were analysed for taste, flavour and content of sugars, terpenes, 6-methoxymellein and ethanol as well as for ethylene, CO 2 and O 2 concentrations in the packages. Carrots washed by machine had increased micro-organism decay and higher sensory scores for bitter taste, aftertaste, terpene flavour and odour, green odour and earthy flavour. The ability of packages to ventilate was important to avoid anaerobic conditions that caused decreased sucrose content, increased production of ethanol and a higher intensity of ethanol flavour and sickeningly sweet taste. Increasing temperature enhanced the concentration of ethanol, CO 2 and ethylene and decreased the O 2 concentration as well as the content of sucrose and total sugar. High temperature also increased the intensity of ethanol flavour and odour, aftertaste, earthy flavour, terpene flavour and bitter taste. Bitter taste was positively correlated with 6-methoxymellein level, although this level was below the sensory threshold. Bitter taste, earthy flavour and aftertaste were correlated with total terpenes and several individual terpenes. Carrots washed and packed early in the long-term storage period (November) were more bitter and had a higher level of 6-methoxymellein and a higher intensity of terpene flavour and odour, green flavour and earthy flavour than those handled in January or March.
Carrots harvested by hand or machine and given additional mechanical stress by shaking in a transport simulator were analysed for taste,¯avour and content of sugars, terpenes, 6-methoxymellein and ethanol as well as for ethylene production and respiration. Carrots stressed by shaking had higher ethylene production and respiration, higher content of ethanol and 6-methoxymellein and lower levels of total terpenes, several individual terpenes and sugars. This corresponded to a higher sensory score for ethanol¯avour and odour, bitter taste, earthy¯avour, terpene¯avour, aftertaste and sickeningly sweet taste and a lower score for acidic taste and sweet taste as measured by an expert taste panel. Ethanol content was highly correlated with ethanol¯avour and odour and sickeningly sweet taste. Of ®ve varieties tested,`Bolero'`Panter' and`Yukon' were most sensitive to mechanical stress, whereas Napa' and`Newburg' were most resistant. Hand-harvested carrots were not signi®cantly different from machine-harvested carrots as regards chemical or sensory variables. Principal component analysis showed only slightly different placing of these samples in the score plot. A digital carrot could monitor the degree of mechanical stress to which the carrots were subjected.
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