A desirability index framework for the bioprospecting of carrots grown in the Andean region for fresh, feed, cosmetic and nutraceutical applications.

Introduction: Carrot agrobiodiversity encompasses a broad range of compositional, sensory, technological, and biofunctional attributes. However, its industrial valorization remains constrained by the lack of quantitative decision criteria capable of translating sector-specific quality priorities into operational specifications for raw-material selection. This study proposes an application-driven bioprospecting framework for Andean carrot materials by integrating multidimensional quality data into phenotypically coherent typologies and industry-tailored desirability indices. Methods: Fourteen carrot materials grown under uniform Andean agronomic conditions were characterized using physicochemical, nutritional, colorimetric, safety-related, and biofunctional variables. Multivariate clustering, including PCA, K-means, and hierarchical clustering, was combined with univariate inference to identify statistically supported phenotypic contrasts. A mathematical framework implementing four sector-specific desirability indices-fresh consumption, functional foods, wet pet feed, and natural cosmetics-was developed using weighted utility functions, min-max normalization, and Gaussian penalty terms. Results: The analysis resolved four contrasting phenotypic groups: an extreme purple phenotype with elevated phenolic content and antioxidant capacity; a pale group with reduced carotenoid levels; and two differentiated orange groups showing variation in pigment density, soluble solids, dry matter content, and morphometric uniformity. The industry-specific indices produced differentiated rankings across value chains, identifying 6KUR and 5BER as promising materials for fresh consumption, 13FLA for functional foods and natural cosmetics, and 9NAN, 13FLA, and 8NAN for wet pet feed. These results also revealed structural trade-offs, as no single genotype simultaneously maximized performance across all evaluated sectors. Discussion: Overall, the proposed cluster-index-valorization workflow provides a reproducible quantitative framework linking agrobiodiversity characterization with industry-oriented raw-material selection. The approach supports early-stage portfolio design, sourcing decisions, and bioprospecting strategies for agro-industrial value chains prior to product-scale validation, while offering a transferable decision-support logic for plant matrices with relevant intra-specific variability.