What is Saffron Quality and How is It Determined?
Saffron quality relates to its color strength and is primarily influenced by a chemical compound called crocin. With a chemical formula of C44H64O24 and a melting point of 186°C, crocin is responsible for many of saffron’s properties, including its effects on lowering blood fat, improving vision, and digestive health. This red substance turns orange when dissolved in water and is the main contributor to saffron’s red color. Due to its high solubility, crocin is also used as a food and medicinal colorant.
Factors Affecting Saffron Quality
The assessment of saffron quality largely depends on its color strength and quality. The aroma and taste of saffron also play a significant role in determining its quality. Other influencing factors include the climate, weather conditions, and the timing of saffron harvest. Generally, saffron’s color strength can vary due to these factors, and differences may be observed across different regions or even within different parts of a single field.
Methods for Determining Saffron Quality
The determination of saffron’s color strength should be carried out in chemical laboratories using specialized equipment and formulas. The highest quality saffron can reach up to 300 color strength units.
Fraud in Saffron Quality: Essential Warnings
Unfortunately, some individuals resort to fraudulent methods to produce saffron with lower quality or fake saffron for quick profit. These methods include drying and coloring wheat sprouts, corn, or beef and substituting them for real saffron or coloring saffron roots.
Types of Saffron and Their Quality Differences
- Saffron Pushal: This type includes stigmas attached to a few millimeters of yellow style. Its color strength ranges from 170 to 250 units.
- Saffron Dasteh or Daughter: This saffron consists of stigmas and a few centimeters of attached style, arranged in bunches. Its color strength ranges from 120 to 150 units.
- Saffron Negin: The highest quality saffron, made up of large, attached stigmas without any style. Its color strength ranges from 230 to 270 units.
- Saffron Sargol: Similar to Negin saffron but consists only of cut and separated stigmas. Its color strength ranges from 210 to 260 units, with the best reaching up to 300 units. Sargol saffron can be further categorized into types such as “Sargol” and “Super Sargol” based on its quality.
