Good Agricultural Practices In the Harvest Handling and Packaging Of Fresh Carrots

Introduction
When newspaper headlines and radio or television newscasts announce that a foodborne illness associated with fresh produce has occurred, the entire industry from grower to retailer should take serious notice. Today's produce is increasingly being put under the microscope as a potential carrier of safety hazards. Carrot growers and shippers are urged to take a proactive role in minimizing the food safety risks for their crops.
Quality and Safety
Carrot quality and safety are often perceived by consumers to mean the same thing. Good quality carrots may be visually appealing and delicious, yet may contain pathogens or toxins that can cause illness to the consumer. Safe product, in contrast, may be discolored, over mature and unappealing, yet present no hazard to the consumer. Unfortunately, the safety of fresh carrots cannot be determined by its outward appearance or condition.
Field Sanitation Program
Raw Product Safety
Ensuring raw product safety begins with preventing hazards in the carrot field. The best guarantee of a safe raw product is a proactive Food Safety program designed and implemented to identify and prevent hazards during fresh carrot production and postharvest handling. Growers/shippers should familiarize themselves with safe production practices so they might be viewed as qualified suppliers among potential buyers. Some issues of concern during carrot production are summarized in Table 4.
Table 4. Potential hazards during carrot production
Production Factor Potential Hazard Prevention Documentation
Land Use Fecal contamination (source of pathogens) from animals No grazing animals or feed-lots on/near production land Grower certification of no recent animal husbandry on land used
- Toxic pesticide residues in soil Review pesticide history for plant back restrictions Pesticide selection/application records
Fertilizers Pathogenic bacteria from organic fertilizers Use inorganic fertilizer Credible test results
- Heavy metal toxicity from sewage sludge Use certified organic fertilizers or tested and approved sludge Credible test results
Irrigation Water Pathogenic bacteria from surface water Test/monitor water supply Water test results
- Heavy metal/pesticide residues in groundwater Test/monitor water supply Water test results
Pesticide Use Illegal/hazardous residues on product Employ only professional, licensed applicators and monitor pesticide use Examine applicator records; test for residues if contamination suspected
Hand Harvesting Fecal contamination of product Field worker personal hygiene; field washing/sanitizing facilities available Training programs on worker hygiene
Field Containers Soil and human pathogens Use plastic bins; clean/sanitize all containers Field sanitation records
Land Use History
Grazing animals on or near crop land can introduce pathogenic (to humans) bacteria to the soil. Growers should ensure that land has not been used for animal husbandry and that it is not in proximity to animal feedlots or water runoff from grazing lands. Past improper use of pesticides can result in hazardous residues on raw product. Buyers might insist on letters of guarantee from grower/ shippers that the land is suitable and safe for the crops being produced. Growers should be aware of the field history regarding pesticides and any previous uses that might have introduced heavy metals into the soil.
Fertilizer Use
Insufficiently composted organic fertilizers may contain pathogenic (to humans) bacteria derived from animal or human feces. If organic fertilizers are used, be sure that they have been sufficiently composted so pathogens are not present. Inorganic fertilizers originate from generally, non-toxic, synthetic chemicals, so no pathogens are present. Composted sewage sludge should not be used as it may contain pathogens as well as heavy metal contamination.
Irrigation
Natural surface water (e.g., canal, lake, pond) may provide enough organic matter to support the growth of bacterial pathogens. Surface water may be used but should be tested for the presence of the pathogenic bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli), which is an indicator of fecal contamination. An infectious dose may be as low as 10 organisms per milliliter. Groundwater is less likely to harbor human pathogens but should be analyzed for heavy metal and pesticide contamination.
Overhead irrigation is more likely to spread contamination to above-ground plant parts than is root-zone irrigation. Growers must be able to document answers to the following questions: Are irrigation practices safe? What is the water source? How is water stored? Are animals being raised nearby? What tests are performed to ensure the purity and safety of the water?
Pesticide Usage
Inspection, monitoring and documentation of proper use of pesticides will prevent unsafe or illegal pesticide residues from contaminating the raw product. Growers must be able to answer the following questions: Do you oversee your pesticide-spraying program? Do you have record-keeping procedures to track all spraying of this crop? Do you or the state/federal government regularly test your crops for residue levels?
Harvesting
Mechanical harvesting can wound produce, encouraging contamination from the soil. Hand harvesting may lead to pathogen contamination if field workers practice poor hygiene. Field crews must be trained and monitored for personal hygiene (hand washing activities), and portable bathroom and hand-washing facilities must be provided in the field.
Field Containers (boxes, buckets, bins, etc.)
Containers for harvesting fresh produce should be non-toxic, easy to clean and free of extraneous materials (e.g., nails, wood splinters, etc.) that can carry over into processing. They must be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for field use. After detergent cleaning, field bins, buckets, etc., can be sanitized using a very strong sodium hypochlorite solution dispensed from a high-pressure sprayer.
Post Harvest Handling
Harvest Quality
Fresh Georgia carrots should be harvested before reaching full maturity. These carrots average 7 to 9 inches in length, 1.5 inches in diameter, and have a mild, sweet flavor and a bright external color. All Georgia carrots are machine harvested.
Harvesting and Packaging
Machine harvested carrots are loosened under the row by pull-like devices and elevated out of the soil onto belts that grasp the carrot tops. These tops are cut mechanically and allowed to fall back into the field while the trimmed roots are elevated to trucks for bulk transport to the packing house. At the packing house, carrots are off loaded into a dry dump tank, conveyed through a cylindrical revolving cleaner to remove dirt and sand, and then they enter a revolving drum washer with spray nozzles. Washed carrots then proceed through a series of sizing belts, where they are sorted by length and diameter. Diverging rollers are used to separate roots for diameter, and an inclined, vibrating platform with graduated hole sizes separates roots according to length. Sized carrots drop onto conveyor belts for hand grading to remove culls and are then hand packed into one-, two-, three- and five-pound polyethylene bags, which are subsequently palletized into 50 pound, heavy polyethylene master bags.
Mechanical damage to the roots can be minimized by the proper operation of all harvesting, sizing and grading equipment. Excessive speed or overloading of equipment will result in an increase of mechanical damage to the carrots. Such bruising or cutting will open up avenues for greater water loss and invasion of decay microorganisms.
Precooling and Storage Requirements
Carrots have a high rate of respiration, which means field heat must be removed before dense packaging and storage. Precooling is accomplished by using cold water in the revolving drum washer or running field bins through a hydrocooler. Keep temperatures at 40 degrees F.
Topped fresh market carrots are very perishable and rapidly transpire moisture from even trimmed roots. Wilting symptoms become evident with as little as a 3 percent weight loss. Therefore, high humidity (95-100%) is imperative in storage. Free moisture, if allowed to condense on carrots will promote decay. Good air movement is necessary to prevent decay during storage. Topped carrots should be held at 32 degrees F. If the above conditions are met, the shelf life of immature, topped carrots is four to six weeks.
Quality Defects
One of the most common signs of visual quality loss is a lack of firmness: Carrots become limp and soft, flabby, and/or shriveled. Other quality defects causing carrots to be downgraded by the buyer or due to a USDA inspection include the following: Non-uniform shape, growth cracks, insect damage, poor color, roughness, green core, sunburn injury, poor trimming, evidence of freeze damage and decay.
Mixed Load/Storage Compatibility
Carrots have the same storage requirements as beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collards, sweet corn, endive, greens, lettuce, green onions, parsley, parsnips, peas, radishes, snow peas, spinach, and watercress. Therefore, these crops can be stored together without deleterious effects. However, carrots should not be stored with ethylene producing crops (e.g., cantaloupes, apples, etc.). Carrots are sensitive to as little as 0.5 ppm ethylene. This will impart a perceptible bitter flavor to the carrots.
Postharvest Decay
Postharvest decay organisms are obligate parasites and therefore, do not normally enter the product through healthy, exterior tissue. These organisms require mechanical damage or weakening of tissue before they can enter. Spoilage losses can be minimized if the following precautions are observed: Use new or disinfected storage containers, handle carrots carefully to prevent injuries, precool roots properly, and maintain carrots at a constant temperature slightly above 32 degrees F.
The most important decays of carrots in storage are gray mold rot (Botrytis), watery soft rot(Sclerotinia), crater rot (Rhizoctonia), fusarium rot, rhizopus soft rot, bacterial soft rot, black rot(Stemphylium), and sour rot (Geotrichuim).
Sanitary Guidelines for Packinghouse Operations
Receiving Incoming Product
Harvest crews should remove as much dirt and mud from the product as is possible before the product leaves the field. An area should be set aside in the receiving yard so pallets can be cleaned before dumping in bins or cooling.
Water Sanitation
Water used in cleaning and cooling should be chlorinated at a concentration of 75 to 100 ppm of free chlorine. Chlorination can be accomplished using a gas injection system, adding bleach or using calcium hypochlorate tablets. Chlorination levels in the water should be monitored frequently during operation, through the use of chlorine litmus paper, or more accurately with a chlorine test kit. Water pH should be maintained between pH = 6.5 - 7.5 to avoid having to use excess chlorine in order to maintain recommended free chlorine levels. Excessive use of chlorine causes gassing off (objectionable chlorine odor -- gas can irritate worker's skin, is corrosive to equipment and increases sanitation cost).
Employee Hygiene
Good employee hygiene is very important. Employee training, health screening and constant monitoring of packinghouse sanitation practices (hand washing, personal hygiene) are important in reducing contamination by employees.
Packinghouse Equipment
Packinghouse equipment should always be maintained in clean condition. The remnants of product left on belts, tables, lines and conveyors could provide a source for microbial growth; therefore, cleaning by scrubbing to remove particles should be part of the cleaning procedure.
If it is deemed appropriate, sanitizing with a chlorine solution could be accomplished, especially on belt conveyors, and equipment by spot spraying with hand sprayers. Knives, saws, blades, boots, gloves, smocks and aprons should be cleaned or replaced as needed.
Pest Control
A pest control program should be in place to reduce, as much as possible, the risk of contamination by rodents or other animals. In an open or exposed packinghouse operation, the best control is constant vigilance and elimination of any discovered animals and their potential nesting locations. Product and/or product remnants will attract pests; therefore, the daily cleaning of the packinghouse to eliminate the attractive food source should help in reducing pest activity.
Facility Sanitation
Packinghouse facilities have the potential for developing microbial growth on walls, tunnels, ceilings, floors, doors and drains. Scheduled wash down and/ or sanitizing of the facility will reduce the potential for microbial growth. The cooling system should be monitored and cleaned as necessary depending on the type of system.
Temperature Control
Maintenance of proper holding room temperature could affect product quality and could be a factor in reducing microbial growth. Temperature should be monitored in order to ensure maintenance at established product temperature parameters.
Harvesting Carrots
George. E. Boyhan, Sharad C. Phatak, Darbie M. Granberry and William Terry Kelley - Extension Horticulturists
Carrots require three to five months from seeding to harvest when grown as a winter crop. Carrots should be harvested when they reach the appropriate size for the grade and market desired. For U.S. Extra No. 1 and U.S. No. 1, the diameter at the shoulder should be no less than 3/4 of an inch and no more than 1-1/2 inches. For U.S. No. 1 Jumbo, the diameter should be not less than 1 inch nor greater than 2-1/2 inches. The length for U.S. Extra No. 1, U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 1 Jumbo should be no less than 5 inches. Smaller or larger carrots can be harvested as U.S. No. 2 or unclassified. The size for U.S. No. 2 carrots is not less than 1 inch and not more than 3 inches in diameter with a minimum length of 3 inches. For processing, carrots are usually a minimum of 1-1/2 inches in diameter at the shoulder. The processor may also have requirements for carrots grown under contract. Care should be taken to harvest carrots at optimum for the particular market because over-mature carrots can develop woody centers particularly in older varieties. Over-mature carrots are also more prone to breakage during harvest. However, delaying harvest by 7-10 days after the appropriate size has been reached will increase the sugar content in mild climatic conditions. Thus, it may be better to delay harvest by one to two weeks depending on the weather.
Carrots can be harvested and sold as bunched carrots, that is with the tops still attached or with short trimmed tops. The size of tops for bunched carrots can vary from under 12 inches to more than 20 inches based on the length classification. Carrots with short trimmed tops will have their tops trimmed to no more than 4 inches.
The condition of the tops is very important particularly for mechanically harvested carrots. Mechanical harvesters pull the carrot from the ground by the tops. Optimum fertility and disease control will help keep tops in condition for harvesting. Heavy rains can impede harvesting not only by limiting field access with equipment but carrot tops can become matted and difficult to pull, resulting in lower yields due to missed carrots.
Carrots grown in Georgia are generally mechanically harvested where the tops are removed by the harvester before being conveyed to a bulk loader. Care should be exercised that the topping mechanism is properly set so that all of the tops are removed. Tops partially remaining can be a site of disease entry as well as transpiring water from the carrot reducing weight and turgor. Processing carrots may be harvested by a potato digger. For this method of harvesting, tops are mowed before digging.
Marketing Carrots
William O. Mizelle, Jr. - Extension Ag Economist
Marketing carrots or any vegetable is more than selling. Marketing includes production, distribution and pricing. To be successful, marketing must be responsive to consumers' demands. Consumers demand quality, freshness, and "reasonable" prices.
Production
Production data for most vegetables are not available or incomplete Most sources of data have California dominating the carrot industry with about 80 percent of the production. About nine other states and imports from Canada and Mexico comprise less than 20 percent of the annual supplies. Carrots are available year-round.
Distribution
The location of the population and their tastes and preferences determine the demand for any product. For most vegetables, the top three markets are the three largest cities -- New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. This is so with carrots.
Pricing
Supply and demand determine the general price level. The competing states' production determine the supply. Consumers' willingness to buy different quantities at different prices determine the demand.
Consumption data for carrots show increases in all forms -- fresh, canned and frozen. Fresh consumption has recently grown, especially in the baby-peeled pack. An article in The Packer had fresh cut vegetables valued at $690 million in 1996. Growth in fresh cut vegetables grew faster (at 19.5 percent) in 1996 than the growth in salads (16 percent). Fresh-cut carrots are number one at about $480 million. Big growth is expected in baby peeled carrots. (Source: The Packer,A. C. Nielsen scan data). Mann Packing and Grimmway Farms place fresh cut (including carrots) at $1.2-1.3 billion in 1996 (April 7, The Packer). Different sources place baby peeled carrots among the three fastest growing fresh-cut items.
Table 5. Carrot monthly arrivals and percent of total by state (1996)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total % of Total
1000 cwt
California 497 438 490 509 513 443 455 354 300 370 318 390 5077 81.0
Canada 50 49 49 18 4 - 1 28 52 56 59 50 416 6.6
Florida 31 29 39 41 21 10 -- - - - - 5 176 2.8
Michigan - - - - - - - 27 45 59 23 3 157 2.5
Texas 21 14 20 23 19 15 8 - - - - 4 124 2.0
Washington - - - - - - 6 22 24 27 26 14 119 1.9
Arizona 6 4 4 11 16 25 14 - - - - - 80 1.3
Mexico - 2 3 5 14 4 9 12 5 4 7 5 70 1.1
Colorado - - - - - - 4 7 11 13 14 3 52 0.8
Georgia - - - - - - - - - - - - 0 0.0
Total 605 536 605 607 587 497 497 450 437 529 - - - 100.0
Calif/total 82% 82% 81% 84% 87% 89% 92% 79% 69% 70% 71% 82% 81% -
Table 6. Carrots, fresh market: U.S. monthly and season-average grower price, 1990-96 season.
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
---- Dollar per cwt ----
1990 11.70 12.80 14.20 9.75 7.99 10.20 8.74 9.04 10.50 9.85 16.00 16.60 11.90
1991 21.00 13.70 16.30 13.80 13.90 11.10 9.78 10.60 10.90 11.40 19.20 17.80 14.60
1992 19.00 17.10 13.20 12.80 11.70 10.80 16.90 16.70 14.40 12.80 12.00 13.80 14.50
1993 18.00 13.20 11.20 12.70 11.20 10.20 9.04 10.10 9.98 10.30 11.00 10.90 11.90
1994 10.70 10.50 11.50 10.30 12.10 12.10 13.60 16.40 15.30 15.50 15.10 15.60 12.10
1995 19.20 16.90 18.90 19.80 19.30 15.30 14.80 15.50 15.90 15.10 15.10 15.40 15.30
1996 12.70 13.80 15.70 15.80 12.10 11.00 10.40 - - - - - -
Avg 16.60 14.03 14.22 13.19 12.70 11.62 12.14 13.06 12.83 12.49 14.73 15.02 13.38
Grades and Shipping Containers
The are four grades for carrots - U.S. Extra No.1, U.S. No.1, U.S. No.1 Jumbo and U.S. No. 2.
Shipping containers:
50 lb. table carton
48 1-lb. carton
25 lb. table poly bags
24 2-lb. cartons
16 3-lb. cartons
10 5-lb. carton
Baby-peeled
24 1-lb. cartons
20 1-lb. cartons
10 2-lb. cartons
8 5-lb. cartons
73 3-oz carton
Foodservice
50 and 25 lb. poly jumbo
Consumer packs
1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 lb. bags
Value added packs
Cartons of 4 5-lb. bags of shredded carrots, carrot sticks and match sticks (Julienne-cut). Other cuts available are crinkle-cut sticks, diced, sliced, whole peeled or coined.
Summary
Nationally, per capita consumption of carrots is increasing, especially in fresh. This growth in consumption is helping to keep prices from falling.
Production Costs
Enterprise budgets may be used to estimate carrot production costs and break-even prices. The cost estimates included in the budgets should be for inputs necessary to achieve the specified yields over a period of years.
Production practices, size of operation, yields and prices vary among farms, regions and times of the year. For these reasons, each grower should adapt budget estimates to reflect his particular situation. Experience has been shown to be important in achieving high yields. Below, a budget is estimated for carrot production reflecting a reasonably high level of management. (Detailed printed and computerized budgets are available in most county extension offices.)
Type of Costs
Total costs of producing any crop include both variable and fixed costs. The variable or operating costs vary with the amount of crop produced. Common variable costs include seed, fertilizer, chemicals, fuel, and labor. Fixed costs include items such as equipment ownership (depreciation, interest, insurance and taxes), management and general overhead costs. Most of these costs are incurred even if little or no production occurs and are often overlooked for planning purposes.
Variable costs are further broken down into pre-harvest and harvest operations in the budget. This provides the grower an opportunity to analyze the costs at different stages of the production process.
Land cost may either be a variable or a fixed cost. Even if the land is owned, there is a cost involved. Land is included as a fixed cost in this budget. If land is doubled-cropped, each enterprise should be charged half the annual rate. Ownership costs for tractor and equipment (depreciation, interest, taxes, insurance, and shelter) are included as a fixed cost per hour of use. Overhead and management are calculated by taking 15 percent of all pre-harvest variable expenses. This figure is included to compensate for management and farm costs that cannot be allocated to any one specific enterprise. Overhead items include utilities, pick-up trucks, farm shop and equipment, and fees.
Cost Per Unit of Production
The cost categories (Table 7) are broken down in cost per unit at the bottom of the budget. The preharvest variable costs and the fixed costs decline fairly rapidly with increases in yields.
Costs per hundredweight 1998:
Pre-harvest cost $0.88
Harvest & marketing cost $2.75
Fixed cost $0.32
Total cost $3.95
(For current cost estimates, see most recent extension vegetable budgets.)
Budget Uses
In addition to estimating the total costs and break-even prices for producing carrots, other uses can be made of the budgets.
Estimates of the cash costs (out-of-pocket expenses) provide information on how much money needs to be borrowed. The cash cost estimates are most beneficial in preparing cash flow statements.
In share leases, the cost estimates by item can be used to more accurately determine an equitable share arrangement by the landlord and tenant.
Risk Rated Net Returns
Since there is such a variation in yields and prices from year to year, an attempt is made to estimate the "riskiness" of producing carrots. Five different yields and prices are used in calculating risk. The "expected" values are those prices and yields a particular grower would anticipate to exceed half the time(half the time he would anticipate not to reach these values). Averages can be used for the expected values. "Optimistic" values are those prices and yields a grower would expect to reach or exceed one-year-in-six. The "pessimistic" values are poor prices and yields that would be expected one-year-in-six. The "best" and "worst" values are those extreme levels that would occur "once a lifetime" (1 in 48).
The risk rated section (Table 8) shows there is a 83 percent chance of covering all costs. Half the time, the budgeted grower would expect to net $1280 or more. Half the time he would expect to net less than $1280. One year-out-of-six he would expect: to make more than $2325 per acre or to lose more than $709.
Readers should recognize the examples shown here are estimates. They should serve as guides for developing their own estimates.
Table 7. Costs and returns expected for carrots, 1998
BEST OPT MEDIAN PESS WORST
Yield (50# bags) 1200 950 700 350 0
Price per bag 9.00 7.00 6.00 5.00 3.00
Item Unit Quantity Price Amt/acre
Variable Costs
Seed Lbs 2.00 38.00 76.00
Lime, applied Ton 1.00 26.00 26.00
Fertilizer Acre 1.00 133.83 133.83
Calcium/Boron Gal 1.25 6.50 8.13
Land Plaster Ton 0.25 35.00 8.75
Fumigant Gal 8.30 10.00 83.00
Epsom Salts Acre 1.00 4.50 4.50
Fungicide Acre 1.00 51.06 51.06
Insecticide Acre
Herbicide Acre 1.00 49.78 49.78
Other (rye, tissue test, etc.) Acre 1.00 2.75 2.75
Machinery Hr 4.35 10.33 44.94
Labor Hr 5.50 6.00 33.00
Land Rent Acre 1.00 0.00 0.00
Irrigation Appl 6.00 5.95 35.70
Interest on Operating Capital $ 557.43 10.00% 27.87
PreHarvest Variable Costs 585.30

Harvest and Marketing Costs
Harvest Acre 1 29.79 29.79
Haul Bag 700 0.095 66.50
Grading and Packing Bag 700 2.00 1400.00
Marketing 8.00% Bag 700 0.48 336.00
Total Harvest and Marketing 1832.29

Total Variable Costs 2417.59
Fixed Costs
Machinery and Irrigation Acre 1.00 86.36 86.36
Land Acre 1.00 40.00 40.00
Overhead and Management $ 585 0.15 87.80
Total Fixed Costs 214.15

Total Budgeted Cost per Acre 2631.74

Costs per Bag
Preharvest variable cost per bag .88
Harvest and marketing cost per bag 2.75
Fixed costs per bag 0.32
Total Budgeted Cost per Bag 3.95
Table 8. Risk-rated carrot return over total costs
Net return levels (Top Row);
The chances of obtaining this level or more (Middle Row); and
The chances of obtaining this level or more (Bottom Row).
Optimistic Expected Pessimistic
Returns ($) 3145 2523 1901 1280 617 (46) (709)
Chances - 6% 16% 32% 51% - -
Chances - 49% 30% 16% 7% - -

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