carrot

Carrot (*Daucus carota*) is a root vegetable that serves as a primary dietary source of provitamin A carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, which are essential for maintaining vision, skin health, and immune function. In clinical medicine, carrot is utilized in the form of standardized allergen extracts for the diagnosis of IgE-mediated food allergies through skin prick testing or in vitro diagnostic assays. These extracts contain key allergenic proteins like Dau c 1, which are often implicated in cross-reactivity with birch pollen (pollen-food allergy syndrome). While primarily consumed as a food or dietary supplement, carrot-derived compounds are also explored in biotechnology for their antioxidant properties and as potential vehicles for drug delivery, such as plant-derived nanovesicles.

Other names

Daucus carotacarrot extract