SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY OF CARROT STICK SURFACE TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF WHITE TRANSLUCENT APPEARANCE

Carrot sticks that were prepared with a sharp culinary knife exhibited a whitish translucent appearance on the surface. This condition was not readily apparent with carrot sticks sliced with a razor sharp blade. Scanning electron microscopic examination of the translucent tissue revealed that the knife tended to shear, separate and compress the cells and tissues of the root. Dehydration of the large mass of exposed cells probably was responsible for the appearance of the whitish translucent tissue. Development of this condition is undesirable because consumers associate this with aged or nonfresh carrot sticks.