DRYING TECHNOLOGIES OF COMMERCIAL FLOWERS- AN OVERVIEW

Dry flowers are essential export items both in Indian and International markets and Indian export basket composed of 71% dry flowers which are exported to mainly USA, Japan, Australia, Russia and Europe. The demand for dry flowers is increasing at an impressive rate of 8-10 per cent annually thus offering a lot of opportunities for the Indian entrepreneurs to enter in the global floricultural trade. A number of flowers respond well to drying techniques such as orchids, anemone, zinnia, allium, sweet william, carnation, stock, freesia, narcissus, chrysanthemum, pansy, daffodils, marigold, rose, lilies, foliage like ferns, aspidistra, eucalyptus, ivy, laurel, magnolia and mahonia etc. A number of drying techniques such as air drying, sun drying, press drying, embedded drying, microwave drying, freeze drying, molecular sieve drying and cryo drying, preservation techniques and value addition of dry flowers discussed in details.