Sensory evaluation of carrots from ecological and conventional growing systems

The aim of this study was to establish whether there are sensory differences between conventionally and ecologically grown carrots. The results showed that year, growing system and variety had an impact on sensory quality. A consistent trend for two consecutive years was that conventionally grown carrots scored higher for carrot-taste, while ecologically grown carrots scored higher for bitter taste. In one out of two years, conventionally grown carrots had a sweeter taste and were crunchier, while ecologically grown carrots were harder and had a more pronounced aftertaste.