Cut flowers have become an export income in the global floriculture market. They have multiple uses, such as for home beautification, in ceremonies (including weddings and funerals), and as symbols of love, appreciation, respect, etc., in humane society. Each type of cut flower has a different vase life and the longevity of their freshness is linked to preharvest, harvest, and postharvest tools and conditions. The postharvest quality and vase life must be considered in order to obtain the desirable qualities of cut flowers, and factors that affect this are important in the floral industry. The use of floral preservative solutions is good practice for prolonging the vase life of cut flowers. Currently, the eco-friendly solutions, which are used as floral preservatives for extending cut flower vase life, have been discovered to be a low-cost and organic alternative as compared to chemical solutions. However, there are certain problems associated with the use of chemical and eco-friendly solutions. In this review, we summarize several potential approaches to improve flower vase life and discuss the best choices for holding-preservative-solution practices.
Chrysanthemum morifolium is classified within the Asteraceae botanical family and serves as a phytomedicine in many countries. The objective of this study was to quantitatively analyze twelve phenolic compounds through HPLC/UV and to assess the antioxidant abilities using the DPPH and ABTS+ assays in the leaves and flowers of six cultivars of C. morifolium: ‘Geumsu’, ‘Ilonka’, ‘Silvia’, ‘Pompadour’, ‘Yes Holic’, and ‘Ford’. The results indicated that the leaves of ‘Geumsu’ and ‘Ford’, as well as the ‘Pompadour’ flowers contained high levels of phenolic compounds and exhibited strong antioxidant abilities. Additionally, a relationship between the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities was observed. These findings provide foundational knowledge about C. morifolium cultivars, which are promising natural sources that can offer health benefits.