The Effects of Post-Harvest Treatments on the Quality of <em>Agastache aurantiaca</em> Edible Flowers
<i>Agastache</i> spp. are used as ornamental plants for their pleasant aroma and the different colors of flowers. Nowadays, their edible flowers have become attractive for their nutraceutical properties. Post-harvest treatment appears as a crucial point to avoid impairment of the nutrace...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Horticulturae |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/7/4/83 |
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| author | Ilaria Marchioni Rosanna Dimita Giovanni Gioè Luisa Pistelli Barbara Ruffoni Laura Pistelli Basma Najar |
| author_facet | Ilaria Marchioni Rosanna Dimita Giovanni Gioè Luisa Pistelli Barbara Ruffoni Laura Pistelli Basma Najar |
| author_sort | Ilaria Marchioni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Agastache</i> spp. are used as ornamental plants for their pleasant aroma and the different colors of flowers. Nowadays, their edible flowers have become attractive for their nutraceutical properties. Post-harvest treatment appears as a crucial point to avoid impairment of the nutraceutical compounds and aroma, so different treatments were tested to analyze their effect on the bioactive metabolites and volatilome. Results indicated that freeze-drying was the best solution to prolong the shelf life of these flowers. The use of high temperatures (50, 60, 70 °C) led to altered the composition of antioxidant compounds (phenolic compounds, flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids). Air-drying at 30 °C was a reasonable method, even though time consuming. Concerning the aroma profile, all samples were dominated by oxygenated monoterpene compounds. Pulegone was the main or one of the major constituents of all samples together with <i>p</i>-menthone. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry results showed a correlation between the temperature and the number of identified compounds. Both fresh and freeze-dried samples evidenced a lesser number (10 and 19, respectively); when the temperature raised, the number of identified constituents increased. Statistical analyses highlighted significant differences between almost all aromatic compounds, even if both Principal Component and Hierarchical Cluster analyses differed at 60 and 70 °C and from the other treatments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:17:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-13206c04c3aa4e9f9dbcd0ed6007e782 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:17:01Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj.art-13206c04c3aa4e9f9dbcd0ed6007e7822023-11-21T15:44:18ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242021-04-01748310.3390/horticulturae7040083The Effects of Post-Harvest Treatments on the Quality of <em>Agastache aurantiaca</em> Edible FlowersIlaria Marchioni0Rosanna Dimita1Giovanni Gioè2Luisa Pistelli3Barbara Ruffoni4Laura Pistelli5Basma Najar6Department of Agriculture Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyChambre d’Agriculture des Alpes-Maritimes (CREAM), MIN Fleurs 17 Box 85, CEDEX 3, 06296 Nice, FranceDepartment of Agriculture Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyPharmacy Department, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, ItalyCREA—Centro di Ricerca Orticoltura e Florovivaismo, Corso Inglesi 508, 18038 Sanremo, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, ItalyPharmacy Department, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy<i>Agastache</i> spp. are used as ornamental plants for their pleasant aroma and the different colors of flowers. Nowadays, their edible flowers have become attractive for their nutraceutical properties. Post-harvest treatment appears as a crucial point to avoid impairment of the nutraceutical compounds and aroma, so different treatments were tested to analyze their effect on the bioactive metabolites and volatilome. Results indicated that freeze-drying was the best solution to prolong the shelf life of these flowers. The use of high temperatures (50, 60, 70 °C) led to altered the composition of antioxidant compounds (phenolic compounds, flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids). Air-drying at 30 °C was a reasonable method, even though time consuming. Concerning the aroma profile, all samples were dominated by oxygenated monoterpene compounds. Pulegone was the main or one of the major constituents of all samples together with <i>p</i>-menthone. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry results showed a correlation between the temperature and the number of identified compounds. Both fresh and freeze-dried samples evidenced a lesser number (10 and 19, respectively); when the temperature raised, the number of identified constituents increased. Statistical analyses highlighted significant differences between almost all aromatic compounds, even if both Principal Component and Hierarchical Cluster analyses differed at 60 and 70 °C and from the other treatments.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/7/4/83carotenoidsphenolic compoundsantioxidant activityVOCsaromaair-drying |
| spellingShingle | Ilaria Marchioni Rosanna Dimita Giovanni Gioè Luisa Pistelli Barbara Ruffoni Laura Pistelli Basma Najar The Effects of Post-Harvest Treatments on the Quality of <em>Agastache aurantiaca</em> Edible Flowers Horticulturae carotenoids phenolic compounds antioxidant activity VOCs aroma air-drying |
| title | The Effects of Post-Harvest Treatments on the Quality of <em>Agastache aurantiaca</em> Edible Flowers |
| title_full | The Effects of Post-Harvest Treatments on the Quality of <em>Agastache aurantiaca</em> Edible Flowers |
| title_fullStr | The Effects of Post-Harvest Treatments on the Quality of <em>Agastache aurantiaca</em> Edible Flowers |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effects of Post-Harvest Treatments on the Quality of <em>Agastache aurantiaca</em> Edible Flowers |
| title_short | The Effects of Post-Harvest Treatments on the Quality of <em>Agastache aurantiaca</em> Edible Flowers |
| title_sort | effects of post harvest treatments on the quality of em agastache aurantiaca em edible flowers |
| topic | carotenoids phenolic compounds antioxidant activity VOCs aroma air-drying |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/7/4/83 |
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