DAROSA
Rosa Damascena: how to maximize the quality of its extracts
The general purpose of this project is to maximize the quality of rose-water obtained from roses of the species of Rosa damascena Mill. (Rosaceae) (Damask Rose) simultaneously with an attempt to minimize the costs related to its production while creating a more competitive product in terms of consumers’ satisfaction. We therefore aim to improve the Cypriot rose-water and promote it to a capable product that can compete at an international level, not only by economic criteria but mainly by qualitative properties. With this study we aim to improve the rose-water produced at our facilities by finding the ideal conditions related to harvesting time, storage conditions and distillation parameters and thus by developing a prototype of a standardised production protocol which will minimize the production costs. This high quality rose-water can be promoted in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries due to its therapeutic properties.
The major objectives of this project are:
1) To examine the physical characteristics of the R.damascena roses and the chemical composition (including phenolic profile and essential oils) of rose-water produced from the aforementioned,
2) To examine the role of harvesting time, storage conditions and distillation conditions in the resulting quality of rose-water obtained from the flowers,
3) To examine the antimicrobial activity of rose-water in terms of harvesting time, storage conditions and distillation conditions.
4) To develop a prototype of a standardized production protocol that will ensure constant high quality production, maximizing the efficiency of the procedure and thus, minimizing the production costs.
Partners:
