Studies on Quality Evaluation of Non-Dairy Probiotic Beverage Prepared from Carrot and Tomato Juice

Abstract

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) is the most important crop of Apiaceae family. It is a root vegetable that has worldwide distribution. Carrots were first used for medical purposes and gradually used as food. Written records in Europe indicated that carrots were cultivated prior to the tenth century. The colors of the carrot root flesh may be white, yellow, orange, red, purple, or very dark purple.Orange carrots, today more popular, were developed in the 15th and 16th centuries in Central Europe. A rapid rise in the popularity of orange carrots was observed with the recognition of its high provitamin A content.Carotenoids and anthocyanins are the major antioxidant pigments found in carrots. Carotenoids are the yellow, orange, or red colored phytochemicals found in most yellow and orange fleshed cultivars. The widely used