How to keep carrots in autumn and fresh

Carrots are rich in a variety of carotenes and are important root vegetables, as well as important food processing ingredients and major export vegetable varieties
.
Carrots are rich in nutrition and have a variety of eating methods, which are loved
by consumers.
Carrots are simple to plant, labor-saving management, high yield, resistant to storage and transportation, large market demand, and producers love to plant.

Autumn carrots are planted in a large area, and can be stored to meet the market supply
in winter and spring.
Bran heart, long buds, skin shrinkage and blackening become common problems in the storage process of carrots, which not only affects the quality of carrots, but also causes economic losses
.
Doing a good job in the post-harvest management of autumn harvest carrots can maintain commerciality, reduce economic losses, and ensure market supply
.
To this end, Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station hereby puts forward the following guidance for the reference
of the majority of producers and operators.

Harvested to standard

Ungraded fruit carrots after harvest Image source: Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station

Fruit carrots sold directly after harvest Image source: Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station

The harvest period of carrots is not strict, and the harvesting standards
can be flexibly adjusted according to the characteristics of varieties and market needs, taking into account factors such as yield and unit price.
Harvest early, high moisture content, fleshy roots not fully grown, low yield, poor quality, high price, suitable for direct sales; Harvesting too late, ripening too high, the central column is thick, the texture is poor, the storage resistance is poor, and it is not suitable for storage
.
When the market supply is insufficient, it can be appropriately procured early, which can not only ensure market supply, but also obtain early income, and at the same time avoid problems such as slow sales and low prices in centralized listing; Harvesting too late reduces the quality of carrots; After the carrots used for storage meet the harvest standards, they should be harvested
in time.
Leave 2-3 cm petioles at harvest to help carrots remain commercial.

Focus on merchandisability

Grading improves the commerciality of carrots Image source: Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station

Bifurcation, bending, cracked roots, tumors, green heads, wilting, etc.
are the main problems
affecting the commerciality of carrots.
Carrots include ordinary carrots, fruit carrots, processed fruit carrots, pocket carrots and other categories, the flesh color is orange, orange, purple, brown, yellow, white, etc.
, according to the shape can be divided into cylindrical, conical
.
We should start from the production process and pay attention to the main issues
affecting the commodity.
In the early stage of autumn harvest carrots, the light is strong and the temperature is high, and measures such as small water irrigation should be taken to increase the ambient humidity and create a small environment suitable for growth; The climatic conditions in the late growth period are suitable for the growth of carrots, which is conducive to the accumulation of nutrients and the formation of yield, and the supply of
water and fertilizer should be sufficient.
If the soil is too dry, it will cause the carrot fleshy roots to be small, the root shape is not correct, the forks are forked, the surface is rough, and the quality is different; If the soil is too wet, it is prone to problems such as
cracked roots.
Carrots grown on loam or sandy loam soil have smooth peels, low incidence of deformities and good
commerciality.
Autumn stubble has sufficient sunlight, suitable temperature, large temperature difference between day and night in the late growth period, which is more conducive to the accumulation of nutrients, high yield and good
quality.
According to the commerciality requirements of sales channels, suitable varieties should be selected, and through the selection of planting soil, reasonable dense planting, maintaining soil water content, pre-harvest water control, controlling harvesting maturity, and harvesting according to standards to ensure commerciality
.

Commercial requirements for ordinary carrots: fleshy roots are mature, the root shape is intact and good, the end is uniform, the skin is smooth, the fleshy roots are uniform, the texture is crisp and tender, and the taste is good; Uniform coloring, no green or purple on the top, intact fruit shape, no mechanical damage; No root whiskers, no split ends, no cracks, no scars, no deformities
.

Storage technology

Short-term turnover storage Image source: Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station

Trench storage method to store carrots Image source: Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station

Carrots are stored at a temperature of 0°C and a humidity of 90%-95%, and the storage period can reach 3-6 months
.
The moisture content of autumn harvest carrots is suitable and can be stored for a long time, but the shelf-stable performance of different carrot varieties varies greatly
.
After short-term storage, fruit and carrots have a crisper and sweeter
taste.
Farm varieties have low water content and good storage resistance; At present, a large number of imported varieties are of high quality, but poor storage resistance; Fruit carrots, processed fruit carrots, pocket carrots are not suitable for long-term storage
.
Carrots are divided into traditional and modern storage methods
.
Traditional storage includes ditching, stacking, cellaring, etc.
; Modern storage includes cold storage, controlled atmosphere storage and other methods
.
Stacking methodCarrots have a short storage time; Ditch is more suitable for carrot varieties with low water content, and varieties with high water content are prone to long buds and dehydration wilting problems
.
Carrots can be stored in storage, in order to avoid excessive ripening and root cracking, sowing should be
delayed.
Carrots are stored without cleaning with soil and mud, and there are also ways to
store them after washing.
If the soil water content is insufficient during ditching, it should be watered at the time of storage, and the watering amount should be determined according to the soil nature, soil moisture and the variety of carrots stored, but the general principle is that there can be no stagnant water
at the bottom of the ditch.
Carrots are stored in a variety of ways, but low temperature and high humidity are necessary conditions for storing carrots, and the storage environment is suitable, which can avoid the occurrence of deterioration of quality such as fleshy root wilting, bran, budding, rot, lightening of flavor, and blackening of the epidermis.

It is normal for carrots stored after washing to have bearded
roots.
Before storage, it should be sorted to remove pests and diseases, mechanical damage, and deformed carrots; If the sales channel has requirements for product specifications, it should be graded according to the length, single weight and other indicators, and stored separately after grading
.

Outbound management

Ditch storage carrots to be cleaned Image source: Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station

Cleaning after leaving the warehouse Image source: Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station

After washing and storing carrots, they have bearded roots Image source: Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station

After the carrots are out of the warehouse and cellar, the carrots should be cleaned; If it has been cleaned before storage, it should also be cleaned twice
because there are bearded roots during storage.
The storage methods of ditch, cellar, and cold storage are different, and the way of leaving the warehouse is also different
.
When the carrots stored in the ditch and cellar need to be sold, they should be dug and out of the cellar with the sale; Carrots stored in cold storage should be out of the warehouse at one time and sold in stages to avoid frequent opening of the warehouse, resulting in large changes in temperature and humidity in the warehouse, affecting the quality of
carrots in the warehouse.
Mechanical cleaning efficiency is high, but it is prone to mechanical damage and short shelf life; Inputs used for cleaning should comply with regulatory requirements
.

Reasonable processing and packaging

Carrots are divided into two packaging methods
: storage packaging and sales small packaging.
Storage can be packed in cartons, plastic baskets, mesh bags and other ways; When the storage quantity is particularly large, the direct stacking method
is mostly used.
Sales small packaging is different due to packaging categories and sales channels, and the appropriate packaging method
should be selected according to the sales channels.
Ordinary carrots are mostly wrapped in plastic wrap, tray + plastic wrap, plastic bags, net bags, crisper boxes and other packaging methods, and fruit carrots are mostly packaged in crisper boxes, plastic bags and other packaging methods
.
Processed carrots have a higher yield than mini (pocket) carrots and can be machined into mini (pocket) carrots
.
Mini carrots are sold as snack foods, which can increase the added value of goods; Although fruit carrots and pocket carrots have low yields and high prices, they are of good quality and are deeply loved
by consumers.
Fruit carrots, pocket carrots, purple carrots and other characteristic carrots have high economic value and good
economic benefits.

Supermarket net bag packaging method Image source: Beijing Agricultural Technology Extension Station

Home storage

When a large number of carrots are on the market in autumn, the price of carrots is low, and the consumption of carrots in autumn and winter is large, and families can put carrots in plastic bags and store them at a lower temperature; It can also be placed in the middle of Chinese cabbage, and the Chinese cabbage can be used to maintain the temperature and humidity of carrots; A small amount can be stored in the household refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap or packed into a plastic bag to maintain the humidity of the carrots in the package and reduce the occurrence of
problems such as wilting of the epidermis and chaff.
After storing fruit and carrots in a plastic bag for 3 days in the refrigerator and freezer, the crispiness increases and the taste is
sweeter.
(Editor Li Chuang)

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