No abstract

BACKGROUND: Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the most valuable spices and nowadays its main use is as a foodstuff. Numerous papers have been published on saffron aroma and its volatile content, but nothing has been written about the aroma quality of samples available on the market to consumers. The aim of this study was to analyse and compare 418 commercial samples of saffron belonging to different ISO categories. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (USAE) with an organic solvent and dynamic headspace desorption (DHD) followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry were used to screen for saffron volatile composition.

No abstract

No abstract

In this paper, 345 saffron samples were analyzed from different countries to study their picrocrocin content using different analytical techniques. The E1cm 1% of 257 nm results from all samples are inflated in comparison by the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data, because of the interferences with the crocetin ester pool and especially with those with a lower trans/cis relation. A picrocrocin range update is proposed for International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 3632 normative because category III should be incremented up to 50 units, while category II should be incremented up to 60 units. More accurate data are achieved when the deltaEpic measurement is carried out. Consequently, improvements to the ISO method are suggested. Fourier transform (FT)-near-infrared spectrometry analysis has also been carried out, showing excellent results from the calibration with HPLC data. This spectrophotometric technique could be used by saffron enterprises to obtain quick and more accurate data for picrocrocin determination.