Enhancing shelf life and freshness retention in jasmine flowers (Jasminum multiflorum L.) through Post-harvest chemical treatments

Abstract

Jasmine flowers, known for their extreme perishability, were subjected to various chemical treatments and stored over a 5-day period under ambient conditions. The impact of these treatments on physiological factors such as weight loss, freshness, flower opening, browning, total phenol content, and microbial growth was assessed. Desirability studies were conducted using a multi-level categorical design with 100 runs in design expert software. The jasmine flowers treated with a mixture of sucrose (20%), GA3 (100 ppm), and boric acid (2%) exhibited higher shelf life extension of up to 4.40 days, with minimal weight loss (31.31%), high freshness index (45.72), higher total phenol content (7.52 mg/g), reduced flower opening index (71.60), minimal browning index (64.11), and lower microbial population (13.75 cfu/g) at the end of storage.