Drying techniques of edible flowers: Technical features, challenges and potential solutions

With increasing public awareness of health and nutrition, edible flowers are gaining recognition for their unique flavors, diverse morphology, and rich nutritional benefits. However, the high moisture content of fresh flowers poses significant challenges for long-term preservation. Therefore, drying serves as a crucial post-harvest technique to preserve quality, maintain structural integrity, and extend shelf life. This review overviews drying technologies for edible flowers, ranging from conventional to emerging methods. It discusses the principles, advantages, and limitations of various drying approaches based on recent research, with a focus on drying efficiency, nutrient retention, and energy consumption. Additionally, future research directions are explored, particularly hybrid drying technologies and the application of underutilized methods in edible flower processing. The goal is to offer future researchers’ insight into developing more efficient and high-quality drying methods to promote the food applications of edible flowers.