Effect of Packaging Materials and Storage Period on Phytonutrient Content of Edible Flowers
摘要
Edible flowers are increasingly popular in culinary applications for their aesthetic appeal, and nutritional and health benefits. Edible flowers are rich in phytochemicals such as flavonoids and phenolic acids, which contribute to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other health-promoting effects due to their bioactive compounds, edible flowers can serve as natural health products and functional foods, offering benefits like hypoglycemic and neuroprotective effects. However, their consumption is not without risks, which primarily include microbial contamination, allergenicity, and the presence of anti-nutritional and toxic compounds. Besides, edible flowers are more susceptible to postharvest quality loss than cut flowers due to their short stems and lack of water supply during storage. Thus, the postharvest chain of edible flowers must be meticulously designed to ensure maximum quality for the consumer. Exploring new processing methods to prolong the shelf-life of flowers while maximizing the preservation of the freshness and nutritional quality of post-harvest flowers is a key priority of producers and researchers, and we explore all of them in this chapter.