2023-09-26 10:25:48
By Laura Sáez Escudero, Gracia Patricia Blanch Manzano, María Luisa Ruiz del Castillo (CSIC)* y Mar Gulis
The first crops of this vegetable date back to 3,000 BC. C. in the area now occupied by Afghanistan, but the most popular variety today, the orange carrot, did not appear until the 17th century, when Dutch farmers deliberately crossed several cultivated and wild carrots to match the color of the vegetable with that of the Dutch royal house of Orange.
Until then the dominant variety had been the purple carrot. Carrots from 5,000 years ago were a deep purple, almost black. As Arab traders carried their seed through Africa and the Middle East, new white, yellow and reddish varieties emerged, but the dominance of the orange carrot would still take several centuries to arrive.
However, the consumption of purple carrot is regaining some popularity. This is explained by its flavor, similar to that of orange carrots but a little sweeter and with a certain spicy touch, and by its nutritional properties. Like orange carrots, purple carrots contain carotenoids, antioxidant compounds and precursors of vitamin A. which are responsible for the orange and yellow color of these vegetables. But The purple carrot also contains anthocyanins, polyphenols responsible for the red, violet or blue color, which makes many vegetables attractive and which also have antioxidant effects. So far, up to 500 different anthocyanins have been discovered in plants.
Both carotenoids and anthocyanins have been attributed preventive action against certain types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and age-related pathologies. Both compounds are part of the so-called phytonutrients: defensive molecules that plants generate in response to environmental stress and that give us their protective properties when we ingest them. These are bioactive substances that do not provide us with calories but can have many positive effects for the human body.
Boiled, baked or freeze-dried carrots
At the Institute of Food and Nutrition Science and Technology (ICTAN) of the CSIC we have studied how different ways of cooking purple carrots affect the content of its bioactive compounds (carotenoids and polyphenols, such as anthocyanins) and its antioxidant capacity.
Specifically, we have considered boiling, steaming, baking for different times and dehydration through freeze-drying (a process that produces carrot powder, which is used as a natural colorant). If we compare boiling and steam cooking, both procedures cause an increase in carotenoids, but in boiling a drastic decrease in anthocyanins was observed due to the dragging of these compounds into the cooking water. Freeze-drying resulted in an increase in anthocyanins, but caused the loss of carotenoids. Baking was the cooking method that gave rise to the most balanced results, since no increase in any of the bioactive pigments studied was observed, but neither was there loss.
It is also interesting to highlight the direct correlation between the presence of anthocyanins and the antioxidant activity of the sample. Anthocyanins are the antioxidants that contribute most to the biological properties of this variety of carrot.
In conclusion, The purple carrot is a very interesting food for its health-promoting properties. However, selecting the way it is consumed is vital if we want to take advantage of these properties. Although each type of cooking has advantages and disadvantages, in general, steam cooking and baking offer a more balanced and complete product.
* Laura Sáez Escudero, María Gracia Blanch Manzano and María Luisa Ruiz del Castillo They are part of the ENANTIOMET research group at the Institute of Food and Nutrition Science and Technology (ICTAN) of the CSIC.
#rediscovery #purple #carrots