Gladiola (Gladiolus hybridus, C.Morren) je biljna vrsta pogodna za sadnju gredica koja je u domove stigla iz južnih dijelova Afrike i iz područja oko Sredozemlja. Ime je dobila po latinskoj riječi gladius što u prijevodu znači mač. To ime je dobila zbog svog oblika rasta, sabljastih listova i cvijeta, koji je visok, uzak i uspravan i koji stoji ponosno, te je asocirao na mač. Gladiola je biljka koja raste iz gomolja, te ovisno o sorti naraste od 30 cm pa sve do 150 cm. Cvjetovi se počinju otvarati početkom srpnja pa sve do pojave prvih mrazova. Kada se cvijet rascvijeta ostaje dva tjedna. Gladiole se oduvijek koriste kao rezano cvijeće, tako da ukrašavaju domaćinstva. Osim za sadnju, koriste se i u dekorativne svrhe u prehrambenoj industriji za izradu slastica, te kao poutpourri,odnosno sušene latice koje uz dodatak začina daju prostoriji ugodan miris, ali i izgled što je i bio cilj rada. Konvekcijskim sušenjem u dehidratoru istražili smo utjecaj samog sušenja na daljnju preradu latica gladiola. Nakon prikupljanja uzoraka cvijetova pokrenut je proces sušenja. Prirodnim te termički dorađenim laticama utvrdio se ukupni sadržaj pepela i ulja,te boja latica nakon termičke dorade. Istraživanje se provodilo u svrhu određivanja sadržaja pepela, količine vode, škorba i masti u laticama gladiole, mjerena je brzina odpuštanja vode u laticama i praćena je promjena boje ovisno o temperaturi sušenja. Sušenje se provodilo na tri temperature i to na 40°C, 50°C i 60°C. Kod ovog istraživanja korištene su gladiole bijele, crvene i zelene boje cvijeta. Prilikom sušenja cvijeta gladiola ustanovljeno je da je najveći postotak masti vidljiv na temperaturi od 60°C, dok su najveću vrijednost škroba imali uzorci sušeni na temperaturi od 40°C. Udio pepela se dehidriranjem smanjio, a intenzitet boje se nije značajno mijenjao.

Gladiolus (Gladiolus hybridus, C.Morren) is a plant species suitable for the planting of beams that have come from homes in the southern parts of Africa and in the area around the Mediterranean. The name was derived from the Latin word gladius which translates to the sword. This name was obtained because of its shape of growth, saber leaves and flowers, tall, narrow and upright, proud and attached to the sword. Gladiola is a plant that grows from the tuber, and depending on the variety it grows from 30 cm up to 150 cm. The flowers are beginning to open in early July until the first fires occur. The flower breaks down for about two weeks. Gladiols have always been used as cut flowers, so they decorate households. Except for planting, they are also used for decorative purposes in the food industry for making desserts and as poutpourri or dried petals which, with the addition of spices, give the room a pleasant smell but also the look that was the goal of the work. By convection drying in the dehydrator, we investigated the effect of self-drying on further processing of gladiolus petals. After the collection of flower patterns, the drying process was started. Natural and thermal-treated petals determined the total ash and oil content, and the color of the petals after thermal finishing. The study was conducted for the purpose of obtaining ash content, amount of water, shrub and fat in petals of the knees, measuring the rate of release of water in the petals and the change of color depending on the drying temperature. Drying was carried out at three temperatures at 40°C, 50°C and 60°C. In this study, gladioli were used in white, red and green color. During the drying of the gladioli it was found that the highest percentage of fat was visible at 60°C, while the highest starch value had samples dried at a temperature of 40°C. The ash content decreased by dehydration, and the intensity of the color did not change significantly.