Effect of different pretreatments and drying methods on physico-chemical properties of mahua flowers

Introduction

Madhuca longifolia (Mahua) belongs to family Sapotaceae, is a saponaceous tree with a high economic value, providing the two most important non-timber forest products are mahua flower and mahua seed. It is a multipurpose forest tree species that provides solutions for the three key factors are food, fodder and fuel. Madhuca, also known as Mahua or Mowarh in the north, Mahula in Odisha and Illipi in the south, is also known in Sanskrit as Madhuka, Madhudruma, Madhupuspa, Madhusakha and Gudapuspa. In marathi it is commonly known as Moha. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word madhu (meaning honey), which refers to the blooms' high sugar content. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and abundantly spread in the dry deciduous woods of central India. Mahua flowers are one of the most important non-timber forest products collected in the country (Patel and Naik, 2008) [14] . Mahua tree is deciduous tree, with 12-15m height and flowers are white or yellowish-white numerous fleshy crowded from outermost of branches. Fruits are fleshy, ovoid locally called as Tori. Plants are leafless during February -April. Different parts of tree are being used since ages in medicines and other uses (Jakhi and Kalkar, 2011) [7] . Flowers are used as diuretics, tonics and analgesics. Flowers have long been used as a cooling agent, tonic, aphrodisiac, astringent and demulcent. They are also used to treat bronchitis, pharyngitis, acute and chronic tonsillitis and helminths. Additional uses include anthelmintic, demulcent, laxative, stimulant and tonic; fomentation with dried ones relieves orchids; decoction is used as an expectorant; when taken with milk, it helps with impotence caused by general debility (Chandra, 2001) [3] . Drying is the process of removing water from a food item to a certain amount in order to increase shelf life and reduce water activity in the commodity. It contributes significantly to the product's preservation (Doymaz, 2004) [5] . Drying a small quantity of medicinal herbs without the use of additional sources of energy is one of the most popular methods. Medicinal plants should be dried as soon as possible after harvesting in order to improve a plant quality and reduce losses due to contamination (Irondi et al. 2013) [6] .

Materials and Methods

Plant material

The Mahua flowers were collected from local farmers from Saralgaon village and surrounding area Murbad tahsil of Thane district Maharashtra.

Place, duration and season of the experiment place

Department of Post-Harvest Management of Medicinal, Aromatic, Plantation, Spice and Forest Crops (MAPSF), Post Graduate Institute of Post-Harvest Management Killa-Roha, District Raigad during 2025-26.

Experimental Site

The experiment was conducted at Post Graduate Institute of Post-Harvest Management Killa-Roha, under Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, Dist. Ratnagiri (M. S.). The colorimeter (Model CR 400/410 chromameter, Konica Minolta Holdings Inc., Tokyo,. Japan) was used to measure the colour of the mahua flower. The results were reported using the Hutchings CIE lab system, taking into account illuminant D65 and a viewing angle of 10 degrees Celsius. The colour of the mahua flower was measured using the L*, a*and b* values (Nard et al.1996) [13] .

Flowchart of experiment

The moisture content in the sample was determined by using the moisture analyser. The moisture content of the given sample was determined by using the following formula (Ranganna, 1986) [17] .

𝑊𝑤 -𝑊𝑑

𝑊𝑑

×100

Where, Ww= initial weight of sample (g) Wd = weight of dry sample (g)

5g coarsely powdered air-dried rug was macerated with 100 ml of alcohol of the specified strength in a closed flask for 24hrs. It was then continuously shaken for 6hrs using rotary shaker and allowed to stand for 18hrs. The content was filtered using filter paper. The filtrate was transferred to a pre-weighed flat-bottomed dish was kept in oven at 105•, to constant weight and weigh. The percentage of alcoholsoluble extractive was calculated with reference to the airdried drug.

Weight of residue (g) Weight of sample (g) × 100 (Lohar, 2007) [10]

Procedure was same as that of alcohol soluble extractive value and it was proceeded using distilled water instead of alcohol.

Weight of residue (g) Weight of sample (g) ×100 (Lohar, 2007) [10]

Silica Crucible was cleaned, dried well, labelled with glass pencils and then weighed to constant weight. 5 gm of powdered drug sample was put in the Silica crucible. The drug was spread evenly in to a thin layer. This crucible was placed in a muffle furnace and ignited at a temperature of 600°C for about 6 hrs or more until the ash was totally free from Carbon. The crucible containing the ash was allowed to be cooled in desiccators and subsequently weighed to constant weight. The percentage of ash with reference to the air-dried drug was calculated.

Weight of crucible with ash -Weight of the crucible Weight of sample (g) × 100

Acid insoluble Ash value determined as per Pharmacopoeia of India, 1996. Boiled the total ash with 25 ml of 2M hydrochloric acid for 5 minutes, collected the insoluble matter in a Gooch crucible or on an ashless filter paper, washed with hot water, ignite, cool in a desiccator and weighed. Calculate the percentage of acid -insoluble ash with reference to the air -dried drug.

Acid insoluble ash =

Weight of crucible +ash -Weight of the crucible Sample dry weight × 100 (Lohar, 2007) [10] 2.3.5 Total tannin content (mg /100 gm) Stock solution of 1 mg/ml of tannic acid was prepared by dissolving 100 mg of accurately weighed tannic acid in water. About 1-10 ml aliquots were taken in clear test tube and 0.5 ml of Folin-Denis reagent, 1 ml of sodium carbonate solution were added to each test tube. Each tube was made upto 10 ml with distilled water. All the reagents in each tube were mixed well and kept undisturbed for about 30 min and read at 760 nm against blank reagent. Total Tannin content (mg /100 gm)

Were, CE = Catechin equivalents (mg/mL), V = Volume of test sample (mL), W = Sample (Velavan, 2015) [21] 2.3.6 Determination of total flavonoid content (mg /100 gm) Aluminium chloride method Aqueous extract was mixed with 0.1 ml of 10% aluminium chloride, 0.1 ml of 1 M potassium acetate and 2.8 ml of deionized water. After the 40 minutes of incubation at the room temperature, the absorbance for the mixture was determined spectrophotometrically at 415 nm. Quercetin was chosen as a standard and the total flavonoid content was expressed as milligram quercetin equivalents per g of dry extracts.

Total Flavonoid content (mg /100 gm)

Where, QE = the conc. of quercetin established from the calibration curve, mg/mL, V W = Volume of test sample (mL), W= weight of sample extract (distillate) (g) (Velavan, 2015) [21]

Total Soluble Solids (° Brix)

The total soluble solids were determined by using Hand Refractometer (Atago Japan,) and the values were corrected at 20 ℃ with the help of temperature correction chart (A.O.A.C., 2020).

For inversion at room temperature, a 50 ml aliquot of clarified deleaded solution was transferred to 250 ml volumetric flask, to which, 10 ml of 50 per cent HCl was added and then allowed to stand at room temperature for 24 hrs. It was then neutralized with 40 per cent NaOH solution.

The volume of neutralized aliquot was made to 250 ml with distilled water. This aliquot was used for determination of total sugars by titrating it against the boiling mixture of Fehling 'A' and Fehling 'B' (5ml each) using methylene blue as indicator to a brick red end point. There results were expressed on per cent basis.

Factor × Dilution ×5 Titrate reading ×Weight of sample × 100 (Ranganna, 1986) [17] 2.3.9 Reducing sugar (%)

The reducing sugars were determined by the method of Lane and Eynon (1923) [9] as described by Ranganna (1986) [17] . A known weight of sample was taken in 250 ml volumetric flask. To this, 100 ml of distilled water was added and the contents were neutralized by 1 N sodium hydroxide. Then, 2 ml of 45 per cent lead acetate was added to it. The contents were mixed well and kept for 10 minutes. Two ml of 22 per cent potassium oxalate was added to it to precipitate the excess of lead. The volume was made to 250 ml with distilled water and solution was filtered through Whatman No. 4 filter paper. This filtrate was used for determination of reducing sugars by titrating it against the boiling mixture of Fehling 'A' and Fehling 'B' solutions (5 ml each) using methylene blue as indicator to a brick red end point.

The results were expressed on per cent basis.

Factor ×Dilution Titrate reading ×Weight of sample ×100 (Ranganna, 1986) [17]

A known quantity of sample was titrated against 0.1 N NaOH solution using phenolphthalein as an indicator (A.O.A.C. 2020). The sample of known quantity with 20 ml distilled water was transferred to 100 ml volumetric flask, made up the volume and filtered. A known volume of aliquot (10 ml) was titrated against 0.1N sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution using phenolphthalein as an indicator (Rangana, 1986). The results were expressed as per cent anhydrous citric acid.

= 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐚𝐥𝐢 ×𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 ×𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞×𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 ×𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ×𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 ×100 (Ranganna, 1986) [17]

Result and Discussion

Physical parameters of mahua flower 3.1.1 Colour (L*, a* and b*)

The colour of flower was estimated by colorimeter which gives the L*, a* and b* values which stands for perceptual lightness, red and green, yellow and blue, respectively.

L* value

The data for L* value for colour of Mahua flower are presented in Table (1). The L* value represents the lightness of dried mahua flowers. A higher L* value indicates a lighter colour, while a lower value indicates greater browning P 1 (KMS) showed the significantly highest mean L* value (21.10) of all the pre-treatments, followed by P 2 (Citric acid) (19.07) and P 3 (Control) (14.16). The pretreatment differences were greater than the critical difference at 5%. Among the different drying methods, the significantly highest (23.67) mean L* value were recorded in drying method T 3 (Tray drying) followed by all drying methods, followed by T 1 (Sun drying) (19.75) and T 2 (Shade drying) (10.90) respectively. It was found that there is a statistically significant interaction between drying method and pretreatment. KMS pretreatment and tray drying (P 1 × T 3 ) shows the maximum (27.69) L* value where control and shade drying (P 3 × T 2 ) had the lowest value (9.40). The colour parameter (L*) is given in Table no. 1 in which L* value ranges from 9.40 to 27.69 respectively and were significantly affected (p ≤ 0.05) by both blanching duration and potassium metabisulphite (KMS) concentration. The optimized treatment resulted in higher colour values (L = 27.76) compared to the control, suggesting superior colour retention. The researchers note that extending blanching time from 0 to 3 minutes improved L* values, likely due to deactivating enzymes that cause browning. However, longer blanching periods reduced colour quality, as excessive heat led to pigment degradation. Moreover, higher KMS concentrations enhanced colour preservation by preventing browning reactions. KMS suppressed polyphenol oxidase activity, thereby limiting enzymatic browning and also interfered with non-enzymatic browning via the Maillard reaction. Consequently, the combined use of optimal blanching and KMS treatment effectively reduced both types of browning in dried mahua flowers. The result is noted by Pinakin et al. (2020) [15] . [15] . [15] . [20] who reported that the moisture content of mahua flowers are ranges from 5.30 to 21.68% respectively. Mahua flower contains 15.27g / 100g of moisture in sun dried flowers reported by Mishra and Usha (2024) [12] . Pinakin et al. (2020) [15] reported that moisture is affected by pretreatment he stated that the increase in blanching time, a significant decrease in moisture was observed also stated that moisture content was increased with increase in citric acid concentration because citric acid is a tricarboxylic acid including hydroxyl group and both functional groups are acceptors of water molecules to form hydrogen bonding and he found 14.94 to 21.95% in wet basis.

Samples that were sun and shade dried had the highest moisture content, whereas samples that were tray dried had the lowest. This could be because tray drying uses a controlled, higher temperature to eliminate moisture faster. Deepa and Revanna (2019) [4] found that tray drying showed less moisture in drumstick leaves than sun and shade drying. [11] who reported that the alcohol soluble content of mahua flowers are ranges 23.58% respectively.

The data for water soluble extractives (%) are presented in Table 6. Among the various pretreatment, P 3 (Control) had the greatest mean water soluble extractive value (72.05%), followed by P 1 (KMS) (71.86%) and P 2 (Citric acid) (71.54%) respectively. Among the drying methods, T 3 (Tray drying) had the significantly greatest mean water-soluble extractive value (73.59%), followed by T 1 (71.39%), while T 2 (Shade drying) had the lowest value (70.48%). The interaction between pre-treatment and drying method was shown to be non-significant.

The data presented in the Table no. 6 indicates that the water-soluble extractive value of dried mahua flowers was found to be be in range of 70.10 to 73.70% (w/w) which indicates that flowers possessed a good number of watersoluble phytochemicals, The differences observed among the treatments were found to be non-significant at the 5 per cent level, indicating that the drying and pretreatment treatments did not significantly influence the water-soluble extractive content of mahua flowers similar finding observed by Manjula et al. (2021) [11] in Mahua flower.

Table 7 shows the Mahua flower's total ash content. Out of various pretreatment P 3 (Control) had the highest mean total ash (3.95%), followed by P 2 (Citric acid) (3.94%) and P 1 (KMS) (3.92%) respectively. The different drying method with the maximum mean (4.86%) total ash was noted in T 3 (Tray drying) followed by T 2 (Shade drying) (3.58%) and T 1 (Sun drying) (3.37%) respectively. The data presented in the Table no. 7 indicates that the total ash values of dried mahua flower were found 3.33 to 4.88(%) respectively. The similar finding was found by Manjula et al. (2021) [11] who reported the total ash content of mahua flower is 4.32% respectively. Total ash 0.184% of mahua flower was reported by Katiyar et al. (2011). Similar 3.21% average of total ash of dried mahua flower examines by the Suryawanshi and Mokat (2020) [20] . Total ash 2.96% was recorded by Pinakin et al. (2020) [15] in which he finds that the effect of pretreatment in which he mentioned that ash content was increased with increasing in blanching duration with KMS and decreased with increased with citric acid concentration. Total ash of dried mahua flower is 4.70% is reported by Shukla et al. (2024) [19] . Samples that were tray-dried had a higher total ash content than those that were sun and shade-dried. The increased ash might be the result of more moisture being removed, which would concentrate the mineral components. Deepa and Revanna (2019) [4] reported similar findings that tray-dried drumstick leaves had the highest ash level.

The data for acid insoluble ash (%) are presented in Table 8. The highest mean (2.39%) acid insoluble ash value was found in P 3 (control) of all the pretreatments followed by followed by P 1 (KMS) (2.31%) and P 2 (Citric acid) (2.18%) respectively. Among different drying methods the T 3 (Tray drying) showed the highest mean acid insoluble ash value (2.58%), followed by T 1 (Sun drying) (2.25%) and T 2 (Shade drying) (2.05%) respectively. The interaction between pretreatment and drying method was shown to be non-significant. The data presented in the Table 4.10 indicates that the acid insoluble ash was recorded in table no which ranges from 2.00 to 2.75 (%) respectively. The similar finding was found by Raj (2019) [16] who reported the acid insoluble ash of mahua flower was 1.28±0.03%. Acid insoluble ash 0.21% of mahua flower was examines by Manjula et al. (2021) [11] .

The data for Total Tannin Content (mg/100g) at 0 days are presented in Table 9. Among the different pretreatments the significantly highest (1059.86 mg/100g) mean tannin content were recorded in pretreatment P 3 (Control) followed by P 2 (Citric acid) (948.83 mg/100g) and P 1 (KMS) (906.26 mg/100g) respectively. Among various drying method the significantly highest (1078.61 mg/100g) mean tannin content were noted in drying method T 3 (Tray drying) followed by T 2 (Shade drying) (1002.33 mg/100g) and T 1 (Sun drying) (834.02 mg/100g) respectively. The interaction between pre-treatment and drying method was shown to be non-significant. The data presented in the Table no. 9 indicates that the total tannin content was ranges from 801.89 to 1206.80 mg/ 100g respectively. The similar finding was found by Raj (2019) [16] who reported the total tannin content 50.2093 ± 0.035 mg GAE/g dry weight after 72 hrs drying under control condition. [15] , the total phenolic content of dried Mahua flowers ranged from 307.5 to 715.1 mg/100 g, with an ideal value of 417.71 mg/100g. The processing procedures utilized prior to drying could be linked to the variance in phenolic concentration.

Using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, Shukla et al. (2024) [19] also verified the existence of phenolic chemicals in M. longifolia, indicating their role in the flower's antioxidant capacity. Finding was found by Raj (2019) [16] who reported the total phenolic content 50.2093 ± 0.035 mg GAE/g dry weight after 72 hrs drying under control condition. Preservation of phenolic chemicals during drying was significantly influenced by pretreatment. According to Pinakin et al. (2020) [15] , the preservation of phenolic compounds in dried Mahua flowers was impacted by the interaction between KMS and citric acid and an increase in citric acid concentration had a substantial impact on phenolic content. The stabilizing impact of pH conditions, which helped shield phenolic molecules from oxidative destruction during drying, was responsible for the increase in phenolic content after citric acid pretreatment. Therefore, appropriate pretreatment can help reduce phenolic losses and preserve the antioxidant properties of dried Mahua flowers, especially when KMS and citric acid are used together.

The drying method impacted the total phenol content.

Microwave drying yielded the highest value, however shade drying had a higher phenol content than sun and tray drying. This suggests that phenolic compound retention was impacted by drying conditions. Kaur et al. (2024) [8] observed similar findings in maize silk, with phenol contents of 1243.34, 1126.93and 1199.70 mg GAE/100 g in shade, sun and tray drying, respectively. [19] used the Folin-Ciocalteu method to confirm that M. longifolia contains phenolic chemicals. Mahua flowers have a total flavonoid content ranging between 1761 and 2752 mg/100g. Citric acid pretreatment may help preserve the stability of flavonoid molecules by lowering their susceptibility to oxidation in acidic circumstances, as evidenced by the fact that the flavonoid content increased with increasing citric acid concentration according to Pinakin et al. (2020) [15] and similar results, noting that mahua flowers flavonoid content increased as the concentration of citric acid increased during pretreatment. This improvement was credited by the authors to the protective impact of acidic environments on the stability of flavonoids.

The content of flavonoids varied depending on the drying method. Microwave drying recorded the highest flavonoid content, while shade drying showed somewhat greater flavonoid content than tray drying and higher content than sun drying. According to Kaur et al. (2024) [8] , the flavonoid concentrations for shade, sun and tray drying were 316.09, 288.21and 311.19 mg QE/100g, respectively.

TSS (Total soluble solids) (°Brix)

The data for TSS °Brix are presented in Table 12. Among the various pretreatment the highest (79.34°Brix) mean TSS were recorded in pretreatment P 1 (KMS) followed by P 3 (Control) (79.32°Brix) and P 2 (Citric acid) (79.19°Brix) respectively. Among different drying method the significantly highest (79.99°Brix) mean TSS were recorded in drying method T 3 (Tray drying) followed by T 1 (79.16°Brix) and T 1 (78.70°Brix). The combination of pretreatment and drying methods is indicating statistically non-significant data hence it had not affected on TSS. The Total Soluble Solids (TSS) of mahua flower was given in Table no. 12, mean TSS ranged from 79.19 to 79.34°Brix among the pre-treatments. The highest TSS mean was recorded in KMS (79.34°Brix), followed by control (79.32°Brix), while the lowest was observed in citric acid (79.19°Brix). However, the differences among pretreatments were found to be non-significant. The increase in TSS under KMS treatment may be attributed to the effect of blanching and pretreatment in maintaining soluble solids.

The results are in accordance with Pinakin et al. (2020) [15] , who reported that TSS of Mahua flowers was significantly influenced by blanching time, citric acid concentration and KMS concentration. They observed that blanching suppressed enzymatic activity and helped in maintaining TSS, while increasing citric acid concentration resulted in a decrease in TSS. In the present study, among drying methods tray drying recorded the highest TSS mean (79.99°Brix) followed by sun drying (79.16°Brix) and shade drying (78.70°Brix), indicating better retention of soluble solids under tray drying.

The TSS content varied based on the drying method, suggesting that the drying circumstances had an impact on the soluble solids' retention. Sun and shade drying produced relatively decreased TSS, however tray drying showed better TSS retention. Anjali and Verma (2025) [2] reported similar findings, finding that the drying process had a major effect on bitter gourd TSS retention.

The data for Total sugar (%) are presented in Table 13. Among the pre-treatments, P 3 (Control) had highest mean total sugar content (58.33%), followed by P 1 (KMS) (58.09%) and P 2 (Citric acid) (58.08%) respectively. The differences between pre-treatments were not significant. Among the different drying method, the significantly highest (61.31%) mean Total sugar were recorded in drying method T 3 (Tray drying) followed by T 2 (57.83%) and T 1 (55.36%). The interaction between pre-treatment and drying method was shown to be non-significant. The Total sugar mean of mahua flower was given in Table no. 13 which ranged from 55.36 to 61.31%. The maximum total sugar content was reported in tray drying (61.31%) followed by shade drying (57.83%) while the lowest was observed in sun drying (55.36%). Among the pre-treatments

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