Shelf-life of ready-to-use carrots is critically dependent upon storage temperature. A kinetic study was carried out on total mesophilic aerobic bacterial growth, total coliform growth and "whiteness index" (WI) increase of packed Julienne-type carrot sticks at different times and temperatures of storage in air and darkness. Kinetic equations were used to set up mathematical models to predict shelf-life of ready-to-use carrots under both isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. Experiments were carried out to validate the above kinetics during storage under non-isothermal conditions. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.