About the collaborative
A community of researchers advancing carotenoid assessment science — sharing methods, troubleshooting challenges, and building new collaborations across institutions.
Why we exist
The CARROtS Collaborative was formed to bring together researchers using the Veggie Meter® and related tools. Three goals guide our work.
What it is and how it works
The Veggie Meter® is a portable, noninvasive device that measures skin carotenoids using reflection spectroscopy. Because carotenoids come only from fruits and vegetables, scores serve as an objective biomarker of intake without blood draws or dietary recall.
Ermakov et al., Arch Biochem Biophys, 2018
A growing research community
The CARROtS Collaborative brings together researchers from nutrition, public health, dietetics, and Cooperative Extension across the United States, spanning clinical trials to community-based interventions to school and childcare settings.
The collaborative is coordinated through NC State University and the University of California, Davis, with leadership from Drs. Virginia Stage, Rachel Scherr, and Marcela Radtke.
How we got here
The collaborative grew from a shared recognition that Veggie Meter® researchers needed a way to compare methods and data.
Join the collaborative
The CARROtS Collaborative welcomes researchers at all career stages interested in carotenoid assessment.