U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home News & Events News Articles Research News 2002





- ARS News & Events
- AgResearch Magazine
- Image Gallery
- News
- Search News & Events
- Pesticide Drift May Endanger Pollinators
- ARS Seeks a Fire Ant Fix
- Scientific Discoveries 2024
- ARS Featured Photos
- Down on the Farm
- Facebook Live Events
- Food and Nutrition Research Briefs
- News Archive
- Science in Your Shopping Cart
- Scientific Discoveries
- Social Media
- Under the Microscope
- AgResearch magazine
- ARS at Work
- ARS Memorial Lectures
- ARS Science Hall of Fame
- Citrus Disease (Huanglongbing)
- Contact Office of Communications
- Plant Hardiness Zone Map
- Mobile Apps
- Public Affairs Contacts
- Publications and Other Resources
- USDA Blog
- Videos

Archived Page
 This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
 Click the image for more information about it. Dark-Orange Carrots Deliver More Beta-Carotene  Trendsetting stylists from the '70s may have had it right all along, according to an Agricultural Research Service scientist and his collaborators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison: Dark orange is better than subtler, more neutral tones. At least, it is if you're referring to carrot color. For 25 years, research geneticist Philipp Simon has been breeding improved lines of carrots at ARS' Vegetable Crops Research Unit in Madison. Recently, he teamed with nutritionists Sherry Tanumihardjo and Micah Horvitz of UW's Department of Nutritional Sciences to find out more about the human implications of his work. Together, they studied how much beta-carotene people absorbed from typical orange carrots and those with a darker orange color. Beta-carotene is an orange pigment found in carrots and other fruits and vegetables. It belongs to a group of compounds called carotenoids and has antioxidant properties that may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. It is also an important source of vitamin A, which is necessary for normal vision, bone growth and tooth development. In the early 1970s, the beta-carotene level in most carrots consumed in the United States was about 90 parts per million. By the early 1990s, beta-carotene levels in some varieties had reached 160 ppm, due in large part to the seed industry's incorporation of material provided by Simon into their breeding lines. In the recent ARS-UW study, male and female volunteers ate high-carotene carrots and carrots with average levels of the nutrient, with a 10-day carrot-free period in between. The researchers evaluated the volunteers' blood to determine how much pigment they absorbed. As predicted, the volunteers took up more beta-carotene from the high-carotene carrots. Further data analysis will help the researchers determine if higher carotene levels translate into increased vitamin A levels. Vitamin A deficiency is a significant problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. The researchers believe making high-carotene carrots more readily available will help increase beta-carotene consumption and improve the vitamin A status of individuals who are deficient. ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov