## 4 Discussion  
Carrots contain antioxidants such as phenols and flavonoids, exerting a regulatory role in intracellular oxidative stress [3]. Oxidative stress denotes an imbalance in cellular redox homeostasis, leading to an excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), encompassing both free radicals (such as superoxide anions and hydroxyl radicals) and non-radical oxygenated species (like hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide) [26]. When cellular antioxidant defense systems are insufficient to counteract external or internal oxidative pressures, ROS generation surpasses clearance capacity, thereby inducing oxidative damage to intracellular molecules, including oxidation modifications of proteins, lipids, and DNA, consequently perturbing cellular structure and function [27]. Oxidative stress is considered a contributing mechanism to numerous diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and cardiovascular ailments [28]. Total phenols are a group of polyphenolic compounds that include flavonoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and other subclasses, with flavonoids referred to as TFs [29]. They have strong antioxidant properties, neutralize free radicals, affect cellular signaling pathways, and influence gene expression, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation and preventing cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and inflammatory diseases [28]. Research has found that organically grown onions have higher levels of phenolic substances, such as myricetin and quercetin-3-hamnoside, than conventionally grown onions, but there is no significant difference in TF content. Additionally, organic carrots have higher phenolic acid 5-O-Caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) levels than conventionally cultivated carrots [30]. Similarly, in this study, organic cultivation carrots (OCs) had higher levels of TFs and total phenols than conventional cultivation carrots (CCs); however, the difference was only significant at 4 mg/mL (\(p<0.0001\)). However, natural dream cultivation carrots (NCs) consistently revealed significantly higher levels of total phenols than OC and CC at all concentrations (\(p<0.05\)). Furthermore, in the analysis of TFs, NC showed higher levels than OC and CC; however, the difference was not statistically significant. In this study, we observed that the contents of total phenols and total flavonoids did not increase proportionally with the escalation of carrot extract concentration. This phenomenon could be attributed to various factors, such as saturation effect, biological utilization efficiency, and chemical interactions. Further investigations into component content, utilizing techniques like LC-MS and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and influential factors. The DPPH radical scavenging activity is commonly used to evaluate antioxidant activity. When antioxidants react with the DPPH radical, it is neutralized, changing colors from purple to pale yellow. The DPPH radical scavenging rate of antioxidants may be measured by evaluating the level of color change, thereby indirectly assessing their antioxidant capacity. It has been demonstrated that organically grown tomatoes and Batavia lettuce exhibit higher DPPH radical scavenging activity than conventionally grown crops [31; 32]. NC showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity among the three types of carrots, followed by OC. This suggests that natural dream cultivation enhances carrot phytochemical content more effectively than organic cultivation, thereby increasing carrot antioxidant activity. Carrots have been suggested as an alternative therapy for the traditional medical treatment of leukemia, leading to more research into their potential anticancer properties [33]. As widely recognized, carrots are renowned for their abundant content of \(\beta\)-carotene. However, investigations have revealed that other carotenoids found in carrots are alpha-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene [34].