China Aims to Be World's Largest Carrot Food Producer

China is preparing itself to make full use of advanced extraction technology for nutritious carrots, targeting the world's leading carrot food producer.

China's top science body, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) set up Thursday a development center for enhancing the carrot food industry, which was jointly boosted by the CAS Hi-tech Industrialization Center, CAS Shijiazhuang Agricultural Modernization Institute and Lehui Enterprise Group.

Fu Bojie, director of the CAS Hi-tech Industrialization Center, said the newly established development center will focus on the most advanced technologies and marketable carrot products.

Chinese researchers have been granted patents for extracting useful nutrients, which are regarded as effective protectors of the human intestinal canal, from carrot materials.

The average extraction rate for those nutrients from the carrot is only 20 percent. With new technologies created by Chinese experts, manufacturers could obtain 50 percent.

The development center started to promote their carrot juice and carrot ice cream, which are expected to share the market with fruit products in the near future.

The center has managed to churn out condensed carrot juice and carrot paste using facilities for manufacturing ketchup, and could process about 2,000 tons of fresh carrots every day.

Fu said that the development center hopes to work with potential overseas partners for research and business in the field.

(Xinhua News Agency 07/06/2001)