Edible flowers: post-harvest biochemical and physiological analysis of storage conditions after sanitization of floral organs of Begonia semperflorens

• Grant number: 21/02017-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2021
• End date: June 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Alfredo Kluge
• Grantee: Matheus de Jesus Morais
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Edible flowers attract interest due to their flexible characteristic of applications in cooking, especially in terms of adornment. Although begonias are used in the food industry, sanitary recommendations and storage methods used for plant organs, such as conventional fruits and leaves, may not be viable for edible flowers. Therefore, this study aims to quantify and qualify the perishability of begonia (Begonia semperflorens) after its harvest and sanitization, taking into account the storage in Galvanotec GA91 packaging and the evaluation of the flowers through visual analysis, mass loss ratio , color, total titratable acidity, soluble solids content, ascorbic acid content, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, total anthocyanins, ethylene production and respiratory rate of flowers. The work seeks to evaluate the temperature and humidity conditions to which B. semperflorens flowers will be submitted, seeking to prolong its shelf-life in conjunction with an appropriate sanitization method applied, attesting to the most effective sanitizer and establishing an ideal temperature for the storage and conservation of these edible flowers.