Damask rose (Rosa damascena Mill.) essential oil is affected by short-and long-term handling

•Significant essential oil contents and characteristics were found with short-term storage in cold water.•Frozen-stored petals qualified for higher content and better quality of the oil is recommended for prolonged storage of the Damask rose flowers.•No positive effect of active MAP on essential oil, over passive form.•These results will be informative in selection of useful storage techniques for oil rose.

Damask rose cultivated for essential oil production mainly used in perfume industry. Due to the highly perishable flowers, post-harvest handling of the flowers prior to oil extraction would be considered as a key point in rose essential oil production. Evaluating the effects of various storage conditions on the yield and quality of the Damask rose essential oil (EO), the petals were stored under three conditions included packaging in LDPE and poly-film PET/EVOH/LDPE bags and immersing inside the water containers at room temperature (RT) or refrigerator (4 °C) for 1–3 days (short-term storage). Throughout the prolonged handling (for 7, 14 and 21 days), packed petals using the PET/EVOH/LDPE bags were evaluated under frozen, active and passive MAP as well as RT conditions. Essential oils produced by hydrodistillation were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Petal storage using the poly-film bags at RT for 1 day and also water handling at 4 °C for 2–3 days exhibited the higher EO content and quality, with the yields of approximately the same, 19% and 23% (v/w) higher oil, respectively, relative to those from unstored petals. Moreover, frozen-stored petals qualified for the higher content and better characteristics of the oil for all the durations of the prolonged storage. The results provide a reference material for interested groups such as producers, consumers who are concerned about rose oil production.