Antiaging and antibacterial efficiency of copper ion on cut rose vase life (Rosa L. hybrid).

Roses are popular cut flowers in Vietnam. However, it is highly perishable, requiring proper post-harvest preservation to maintain quality and reduce losses. The life of the cut flower is often influenced considerably by the biochemical compositions in the vase. Some chemicals are usually used for preservation (e.g., thiosulfate salt, hydroquinone, benzyladenine, etc.) However, these compounds can expose toxicity to humans and the surrounding environment. Silver ions and Copper ions are considered antibacterial agents, which prolong the life of cut flowers. Because of the high cost of silver solutions, the present study aimed to evaluate the antiaging and antibacterial efficiency of copper ions characterized by environmentally friendly, low cost on cut roses in vases. The sensory evaluation and determination of representative bacteria, i.e., coliform, were carried out during 9 days of the experiments. The result showed that coliform proliferation was decreased when the copper concentration increased from 1 mg L−1 to 3 mg L−1. We suggest that the direct attack mechanism of copper ions on the bacterial body could inhibit their growth and activity on flower cell destruction and that copper ion accumulation into roses increases protection. Consequently, the freshness of cut roses was better in vases using 3 mg L−1 of copper ion than others, and the variability of coliforms exhibited an inverse correlation compared with the morphological and petal color state, and the shape of cut roses in vases using copper ions increased. Our findings clarified that copper ion promises a potential efficiency to increase the longevity of cut flowers at a household scale or large-scale production, and should be considered for further applications on other agricultural products after harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]