Content of carotenoids in roots of seventeen cultivars of Daucus carota L.

The aim of this study was to compare the content of carotenoids in seventeen cultivars of carrots grown in Poland. Conventional orange cultivars with rarely grown were compared: white, yellow and purple with yellow core cultivars. To determine the content of carotenoids, extracts from lyophilized carrot roots were prepared and analyzed by spectrophotometric as well as HPLC methods with DAD detector. The highest content of carotenoids was found in cultivars: 'Korund F1' (48 mg/100g of fresh weight) and 'Salsa F1' (36 mg/100g of fresh weight). The antioxidant properties of selected cultivars were compared using the DPPH method.