Valorization of Baby Carrot Processing Waste

Abstract

Carrot processors produce approximately 175,000 tons of waste annually in the United State of America. Carrot waste conversion is important to the carrot processing industry as this waste is rich in bioactive compounds and dietary fiber. We evaluated the effects of hydraulic press and expeller press on liquid and bioactive compound extractions. Mechanical separation of carrot mash by expeller pressing improved liquid extraction over the hydraulic press while simultaneously increasing the total solid, carotenoid, and polyphenol contents. Compared to untreated control mash, mechanically treated mash had higher fat-binding capacity. Our study indicates that further conversion of carrot mash could lead to better value streams for this byproduct.