Investigation of the effect of harvest time and different drying methods on qualitative and quantitative traits of Savory medicinal plant (Satureja hortensis )

Savory is an annual plant of the dicotyledonous genus Labiatae of the genus Satureja and the species Hortensis, Which is cultivated for extraction of essential oils and medicinal purposes. Therefore, choosing the appropriate method for drying savory is necessary to extract high-quality essential oils. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of harvest time and drying methods on quantitative and qualitative traits of savory in 2017. In this experiment, the effect of harvest time and drying methods was examined. The results showed that the effect of harvest time had the highest wet and dry yield at the time after flowering and the lowest wet yield at the beginning of flowering. Among the three harvest times, the post-flowering stage had the highest essential oil and the lowest essential oil was allocated to before flowering. The percentage of free radical scavenging increased with increasing plant age. The amount of flavonoids at harvest time after flowering was higher than the beginning of flowering and full flowering. The highest amount of Savory plant essential oil was observed in the shade drying method and the lowest amount was observed for the amount of essential oil in the oven drying method at 60 and 75 ° C with zero grams of essential oil. After the drying method in the shade, the highest amount of Savory plant essential oil was obtained in the 90 watt microwave method and in the sun.