Inter and Intra Varietal Variation in Textural Characteristics of Carrots: a Standard Food in Chewing Studies

Abstract

Carrots have been widely used as a model food in chewing studies yet inter and intra varietal variation have not been considered, treating them as a standard material whose rheological and breakdown characteristics are constant. Using a texture analyzer, we determined small strain compression (Young’s) moduli of carrot cores. We also undertook high speed, high strain compression tests to mimic the type of forces involved in chewing studies. Results suggest that for fresh carrots there is no significant difference between the textural characteristics of carrot varieties studied. Moreover, no difference exists in textural characteristics of sample cores obtained from different locations within the same carrot. As carrots are stored at temperatures between 10 and 30 °C the Young’s modulus declines exponentially with time, while the breaking stress gradually increases. Our data does suggest that the many researchers who have used carrots as consistent model food is justified in doing so as long as the produce is fresh.