Orange carrot

The fundamentals

Produces shades:

Latin name: Daucus carota

Pigment: Carotenes

E-number: not an additive

5 facts about orange carrot

Orange carrots developed for natural food colors have more pigment than those normally eaten by consumers.

Folklore has it orange carrots were developed in the Netherlands as a tribute to William of Orange, who fought for Dutch independence.

Carrots typically require 3-4 months for maturity, but carrots grown for color require at least one month more for the pigment to develop properly.

Often larger than carrots cultivated for fresh consumption, an orange carrot developed specifically for color may weigh around one kilogram.

As an excellent source of vitamin A, they are one of the most important root vegetables grown in temperate climates throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Orange carrots are biennial plants

Carrots are biennials, requiring two full seasons to produce seeds, but are often harvested as annuals when the tap root is fully formed during the first year

How orange carrot is grown

Orange carrot is a cool-season crop and is always directly seeded in the fields. The seeds germinate in about 3 weeks. They are frost tolerant but are not drought tolerant.

Weather affects length of time to harvest by +/- 3-4 weeks as they are highly dependent on temperature and moisture to develop optimally.

Orange carrot harvest calendar and growing areas

Orange carrot seeds are planted from April to May in Europe and are harvested from September to December.

Harvest calendar orange carrot

What you should know about carotene from orange carrot

Oterra's stable, industry-leading formulations allow you to benefit from all of the advantages of orange carrot as a natural food color while minimizing any intrinsic challenges associated with this vegetable.

Orange carrot is the only source of minimally processed carotene. 75% of the pigment is beta-carotene and 25% is alpha-carotene.

Although carotenoids are oil soluble, carotenes from carrots are water dispersible.

Natural Strengths

  • Good heat and light stability

  • Unaffected by pH

  • Low off-flavor

Natural Challenges

  • Cloudy in transparent applications

  • Requires ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in high-water activity applications

Food colored naturally with orange carrot

orange carrots products