The Feasibility of Improving Eating Quality of Table Carrots by Selecting for Total Soluble Solids1

Abstract

Roots from 8 advanced generation breeding lines of carrot ( Daucus carota L.) repeatedly selected for high or low total soluble solids content, and 2 selections of Tmperator 58', one with high and one with low soluble solids, were evaluated for perceived sweetness and eating quality by taste panels. Most taste evaluations were made using the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis method. Two breeding lines, 5158 and 5164, had high levels of solids ( X 's averaging 10.4 and 10.8% respectively) but were downgraded in perceived sweetness in panel evaluations. The ranking of the other lines according to their mean preference scores for perceived sweetness was related to total soluble solids content. Bitter taste and harsh flavor characteristics were associated with 5158 and 5164. No perceived sensory differences were found between the high and low selections of Imperator 58 by a technological panel. A consumer preference taste panel, however, showed a slight preference for eating carrots from the high solids selection. The background constituents of carrot flavor appear to play an important role in the perception of sweetness at all levels of soluble solids.