Plant protecting and regulating compositions – Compositions for preservation or maintenance of cut flowers
Patent
1991-05-02
1993-10-12
Hollrah, Glennon H.
Plant protecting and regulating compositions
Compositions for preservation or maintenance of cut flowers
428 17, 428 24, A01N 302
Patent
active
052525376
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For a number of years attempts have been made to create artificial flowers, made of paper, fabrics or plastic, to satisfy the need for decoration, when conditions are such that it is not possible to satisfy this need with natural flowers, for climatic or economic reasons.
Artificial flowers are far from reproducing the vividness and the beauty of the fresh natural flower.
on the other hand, the natural flower, like any other plant organ, is subject to the decomposition of the tissues which have ceased metabolizing. Saprophytic organisms (bacteria, fungi, etc.) are responsible for the change in the floral qualities and for the final decomposition of the organic matter.
Until now, in order to obtain a prolongation of the floral qualities of natural flowers, attempts have been made to produce dried flowers or to preserve their appearance by immersion in a dye bath containing glycerine.
Thus, in a closely related but different field for preserving boughs or branches of ligneous plants, according to French Patent No. 1,354,279, the boughs are soaked in a bath of monoethylene glycol to prevent the plant from drying.
Furthermore, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,890 there is a description of a process for increasing the resistance to the phenomenon of "porelage" (or exudation) of plants which are treated with glycerine for their preservation. This concerns particularly exotic plants such as palms, by employing the perfusion method consisting of a uniform diffusion of a preservative liquid, i.e. one which replaces part of the water present in the cells. Solutions based on glycerine, polyethylene glycol or propylene glycol are employed as preservative liquids.
None of these methods is actually employed for preserving cut flowers.
In fact, the only possibility of preserving the matter constituting the plant tissues of the flowers consists in preventing the destructive action of the decomposition agents by placing them in an inhospitable or abiotic medium. This involves a virtually complete absence of water.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject of the invention relates to the long-term preservation of cut flowers, another subject of the invention being a treatment for obtaining such cut flowers of long duration, i.e. continually maintaining their decorative properties of apparent freshness.
The long-life cut flowers according to the invention are distinguished by the fact that the tissue water of the fresh flowers is wholly replaced with an inalterable substance capable of preserving the flowers in a structural state which is extremely close to the fresh appearance as much in respect of the shape, the volume and the plasticity, as the color and even possibly of the scent.
Another subject of the invention is a treatment of natural flowers whose objective is to maintain continually their decorative properties of apparent freshness.
The treatment of the natural flowers according to the invention is distinguished by the replacement of the tissue water of the flowers with substances which are inappropriate to the metabolism of the saprophytic agents, and which are inalterable and capable of preserving constant physicochemical characteristics, thus making it possible to preserve flowers in a structural state extremely close to the fresh appearance as much in respect of the shape, the volume and the plasticity, as the color and even possibly the scent.
The treatment of the natural flowers according to the invention is distinguished in that it comprises a dehydration stage ensuring a perfect structural maintenance of the tissues, followed by an infiltration stage, itself followed by a draining and drying stage.
In addition, the treatment of the natural flowers according to the invention is distinguished in that the tissue water is progressively absorbed into the pores of a molecular sieve and replaced with a polymer of low molecular weight, soluble in water and in some organic solvents such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose acetate, benzyl or ethyl acetate, collodion or nitrocellulos
REFERENCES:
patent: 547227 (1895-10-01), Pfitzer
patent: 3895140 (1975-07-01), Sheldon et al.
patent: 4808447 (1989-02-01), Baker
patent: 4828890 (1989-05-01), Tiedeman et al.
The Merck Index, 10th Edition, Merck & Co. Inc., Rathway, N.J. p. 4209 (1983).
Bembenick B.
Creighton Wray James
Hollrah Glennon H.
SARL Compagnie Du Nord
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