36th International Carrot Conference Abstract

Variation factors involved in carrot sensory appreciation

B. Navez¹ , V. Cottet¹, M. Jost¹ ,F. Latour¹, F. Villeneuve¹, S. Huet², E. Geoffriau^2*

¹ CTIFL Centres de Balandran, St Rémy et Lanxade, France

² AGROCAMPUS OUEST, IRHS UMR 1345 INRA-ACO-UA, Angers France

* Corresponding & presenting author : : emmanuel.geoffriau@agrocampus-ouest.fr

Sensory analysis is an indispensable tool for understanding the consumers and promoting segmentation in a product such as the carrot.

However, one must have first a good knowledge of the sensory space of the carrot, and identify the sources of variation involved in the sensory characterization. Trials were conducted on two years in 2010 and 2011 and two production sites in France. The overall sensory space was characterized from 48 batches representing a wide genetic diversity. This has enabled us to identify varieties that opposed the main criteria i.e. texture, including juicy trait, sweet perception and the potential of bitterness, spicy and chemical aroma.

On a smaller sample of orange carrot, two years of tests have highlighted variations due to the production site and varieties, which were modulated by annual differences.

The observed variation underlines the need for more research on explaining the causes such as the development cycle and the pedoclimatic conditions.

Last updated Thursday, 25-Jul-2013 11:51:26 CDT