Purpose

Of the global carrot production, 20–30% is outgraded as carrot rejects and waste (CRW) at the primary processing level, which is partially used toward animal feed and the remaining ends in the landfills. This study was undertaken to identify the hurdles and seek potential solutions for using CRW in food processing.

Design/methodology/approach

CRW were procured from the processing unit in Ontario, Canada, as (1) outgraded carrots (OGCs) and (2) processed discards (PDs). The physical parameters of CRW, imperfections responsible for their separation from the graded carrots and shelf-life studies were recorded.

Findings

A significant difference with p ≤ 0.05 was recorded for both the physical parameters and the nature of imperfections in CRW. Discolored carrots (42.37 ± 3.59%) and the presence of vertical splits (52.71 ± 3.18%) were among the top defects in the OGCs. In contrast, the presence of broken tips (54.83 ± 2.52%) and vertical splits (40.56 ± 2.65%) were among the primary cause for the generation of PDs. In total, five percent of CRW were initially infected, which later increased to 30% during the seven days storage period.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of the study was that only two varieties of carrots were considered and these were procured from one processor (the authors’ industry partner) at different time intervals of the year. Microbiological analysis could not be completed and reported due to prevailing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation but is included for future studies.

Practical implications

Development of specialized post-harvest packaging and handling protocols and separation of infected fragments are essential before suggesting the use of CRW in food processing.

Originality/value

Numerous studies report on the post-harvest management and processing of graded carrots, but limited to no studies are published on the usage of CRW in food processing.

中文翻译：

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在食品加工中利用胡萝卜废料和废物的挑战和潜在解决方案

目的

在全球胡萝卜产量中，有20–30％在初级加工水平上被归类为胡萝卜废料和废料（CRW），部分用于动物饲料，其余用于垃圾填埋场。进行这项研究是为了找出障碍，并寻求在食品加工中使用CRW的潜在解决方案。

设计/方法/方法

CRW是从加拿大安大略省的加工厂购买的，原因是（1）升级了胡萝卜（OGC）和（2）加工后的废弃物（PD）。记录CRW的物理参数，导致其与分级胡萝卜分离的缺陷以及货架期研究。

发现

与甲显著差异p  ≤0.05记录的物理参数和缺陷在CRW性质两者。变色的胡萝卜（42.37±3.59％）和垂直裂痕（52.71±3.18％）是OGC的主要缺陷。相反，尖端破裂（54.83±2.52％）和垂直裂缝（40.56±2.65％）的存在是PD产生的主要原因。总共有5％的CRW最初受到感染，后来在7天的存储期内增加到30％。

研究局限/意义

该研究的局限性是只考虑了两种胡萝卜，这些胡萝卜是在一年中的不同时间间隔从一个加工者（作者的行业合作伙伴）购买的。由于冠状病毒病2019（COVID-19）的普遍存在，未能完成和报告微生物学分析，但该分析已包括在内以供将来研究。

实际影响

在建议在食品加工中使用CRW之前，必须开发专门的收获后包装和处理方案以及分离受感染的片段。

创意/价值

许多研究报告了分级胡萝卜的收获后管理和加工，但仅限于尚未发表有关在食品加工中使用CRW的研究。