Bioactivity and Bioavailability of the Major Metabolites of Crocus sativus L. Flower

Moratalla-López, Natalia; Bagur, María José; Lorenzo, Cándida; Martínez-Navarro, María Esther; Salinas, M. Rosario; Alonso, Gonzalo L.

doi:10.3390/molecules24152827

Cited by 109 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 164 publications

(228 reference statements)

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“…Postharvest treatment is necessary to convert stigmas into saffron spice. Three molecules are the major determinants of the properties of saffron i.e., crocin, picrocrocin and safranal, responsible for the color, the flavor, and the aroma of saffron, respectively [ 85 ]. However, the concentrations of these saffron ingredients (and therefore the aroma, the color, and the flavor of saffron) depend on the drying and storage conditions, which are decisive for the quality of the spice [ 86 , 87 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances on the Anticancer Properties of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and Its Major Constituents

et al. 2020

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Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally with an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018 and a sustained rise in its incidence in both developing and developed countries. According to the WHO, about 1 in 6 deaths is due to cancer. Despite the emergence of many pioneer therapeutic options for patients with cancer, their efficacy is still time-limited and noncurative. Thus, continuous intensive screening for superior and safer drugs is still ongoing and has resulted in the detection of the anticancer properties of several phytochemicals. Among the spices, Crocus sativus L. (saffron) and its main constituents, crocin, crocetin, and safranal, have attracted the interest of the scientific community. Pharmacological experiments have established numerous beneficial properties for this brilliant reddish-orange dye derived from the flowers of a humble crocus family species. Studies in cultured human malignant cell lines and animal models have demonstrated the cancer prevention and antitumor activities of saffron and its main ingredients. This review provides an insight into the advances in research on the anticancer properties of saffron and its components, discussing preclinical data, clinical trials, and patents aiming to improve the pharmacological properties of saffron and its major ingredients.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances on the Anticancer Properties of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and Its Major Constituents

et al. 2020

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“…All the microwave-treated samples showed significant variance with the control, the values of which ranged from 20 in 800-40 to 48 in 616-83. Therefore, the saffron obtained by microwave dehydration contains less content of trans crocetin esters than those obtained from traditional "toasting", resulting in saffron with less bioactive capacity, as trans crocetin esters compounds are more bioactive than cis isomers [3,12,33].…”

Section: Content Of the Main Metabolites Of Microwave-dehydrated Saffronmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Crocus sativus L. Stigmas Microwave Dehydration on Picrocrocin, Safranal and Crocetin Esters

García-Blázquez

Moratalla-López

Lorenzo

et al. 2021

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The dehydration process is the basis to obtain high quality saffron and to preserve it for a long time. This process modifies saffron’s main metabolites that define its quality, and are responsible for the characteristic color, taste, and aroma of the spice. In this work, the effect of microwave dehydration on saffron main metabolites (picrocrocin, safranal and crocetin esters) from Crocus sativus L. stigmas at three determinate powers and different time lapses was evaluated. The results showed that this dehydration process obtained similar or lower crocetin esters content, and after three months of storage, higher concentration was shown in treatments at 440 W for 36 s, 55 s, and 73 s; at 616 W for 90 s; and at 800 W for 20 s. Picrocrocin content was lower and safranal content was higher in all treatments compared to the control both before and after storage. Regarding to commercial quality, microwave dehydration obtained Category I of saffron according to International Standard Organization (ISO) 3632. After three months of storage, treatments at 616 W for 83 s and 800 W for 60 s obtained lower categories. The results obtained suggest that microwave dehydration is a suitable process for obtaining high quality saffron, 800 W with 6 lapses of 20 s being the best conditions studied.

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“…However, emerging evidence has showed that saffron petals contain an array of bioactive polyphenols, including a series of flavonol glycosides and anthocyanin pigments. Several of these constituents were reported to possess multiple beneficial bioactivities [9], and on this evidence, a few extraction methodologies were developed, with the aim of producing polyphenol-containing extracts from saffron processing waste (SPW) [10][11][12][13].However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, the use of DES has never been reported for SPW extraction. The present investigation describes the development of a green extraction methodology for the effective recovery of SPW polyphenols, using a DES composed of L-lactic acid (HBD) and glycine (HBA).…”

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Saffron Processing Wastes as a Bioresource of High-Value Added Compounds: Development of a Green Extraction Process for Polyphenol Recovery Using a Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent

et al. 2019

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The current investigation was undertaken to examine saffron processing waste (SPW) as a bioresource, which could be valorized to produce extracts rich in antioxidant polyphenols, using a green, natural deep eutectic solvent (DES). Initially, there was an appraisal of the molar ratio of hydrogen bond donor/hydrogen bond acceptor in order to come up with the most efficient DES composed of L-lactic acid/glycine (5:1). The following step was the optimization of the extraction process using response surface methodology. The optimal conditions thus determined were a DES concentration of 55% (w/v), a liquid-to-solid ratio of 60 mL g−1, and a stirring speed of 800 rounds per minute. Under these conditions, the extraction yield in total polyphenols achieved was 132.43 ± 10.63 mg gallic acid equivalents per g of dry mass. The temperature assay performed within a range of 23 to 80 °C, suggested that extracts displayed maximum yield and antioxidant activity at 50–60 °C. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the SPW extract obtained under optimal conditions showed that the predominant flavonol was kaempferol 3-O-sophoroside and the major anthocyanin delphinidin 3,5-di-O-glucoside. The results indicated that SPW extraction with the DES used is a green and efficient methodology and may afford extracts rich flavonols and anthocyanins, which are considered to be powerful antioxidants.

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Bioactivity and Bioavailability of the Major Metabolites of Crocus sativus L. Flower

Cited by 109 publications

References 164 publications

Recent Advances on the Anticancer Properties of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and Its Major Constituents

Recent Advances on the Anticancer Properties of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and Its Major Constituents

Effect of Crocus sativus L. Stigmas Microwave Dehydration on Picrocrocin, Safranal and Crocetin Esters

Saffron Processing Wastes as a Bioresource of High-Value Added Compounds: Development of a Green Extraction Process for Polyphenol Recovery Using a Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent

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