This research was designed to investigate the presence of undesirable fibrous tissue in carrots through Computed Tomography (CT) images. Also, the structural polymers content (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) of different types of fibrous tissue, fibrous-free and fibrous carrots were determined by a laboratory analytical procedure (National Renewable Energy Laboratory standards). CT scans were performed on 224 fresh carrots, containing varying undesirable fibrous tissue levels, using a GE-BrightSpeed (R) RT-Elite CT system (Buckinghamshire, UK). Two-dimensional (2D) CT images were acquired every 2.5 mm, at a voltage and current equal to 120 kV and 240 mA, respectively. Houns-field-Unit (HU) values (tissue physical densities) were extracted from different 2D CT image regions from dissimilar carrot components (phloem, xylem and vascular cambium), in fibrous and fibrous-free carrots. A significant decrease (P < 0.05) in HU values and a significant increase (P < 0.05) in structural polymers was observed when carrot undesirable fibrous tissue was present. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.