THE MICRONUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF CROCUS SATIVUS L. AND ITS CORRELATIONS BASED ON STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

This work focused on determining the micronutrient status of Crocus sativus L.stigmas with studying different correlations between physical-chemical compounds (moisture, minerals, ash, total phenolic content, carotenoids, zeaxanthin, vitamins and antioxidant activity). The mineral composition (Na, K, Ca, Mg, P, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Mo B) was analyzed by ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectroscopy). carotenoids DPPH activity were evaluated using UV-Vis spectrophotometer. retention times vitamin E B9 molecules as well their contents in saffron stigmas determined UHPLC respectively (11.473 min, 15.561 ppm), (4.588 1.048 ppm) (3.977 103.382 ppm). obtained phenolics value 9.51 ± 1.10mg GAE/g dry weight (DW) for 28.53 2.27 mg β-carotene /g DW. Positive (p < 0.05) noted moisture-calcium, molybdenum-magnesium, manganese-potassium, manganese-phosphorus, boron-calcium, copper-iron,total phenolic-antioxidant carotenoids-zeaxanthin. However, negative found moisture-sodium, ash-carbon, calcium-sodium boron-sodium. No significant correlationswere observed ash-total phenolic, ash-carotenoids,ash-vitamin ash-vitamin B9.