In recent years, saffron has increased in interest for both scientists and consumers, as it is the only spice able to give to food flavor, color and aroma to foods. In relation to flavor, picrocrocin is considered as mainly responsible for saffron’s bitter taste, but other compounds structurally related to picrocrocin and flavonoids have been identified and could contribute to such a property. ...

BACKGROUND In the last two decades, pioneering research on anti-tumour activity of saffron has shed light on the role of crocetin, picrocrocin and safranal, as broad spectrum anti-neoplastic agents. However, the exact mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. Identification and characterization of the targets of bioactive constituents will play an imperative role in demystifying the complex anti-ne...

Apocarotenoids contribute to fruit color and aroma, which are critical quality marketability attributes. Previously, we reported that the red peels of citrus fruits, characterized by higher expression levels a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 4b (CitCCD4b) gene, accumulate ?-citraurin ?-citraurinene than yellow peels. Here, identified quantified 12 apocarotenoids, either volatile or nonvolatile,...

The main goal of this study is to propose saffron as a sustainable substitute crop with high added value in some Moroccan agricultural areas with low and erratic rainfalls for their socio-economical development. The quality of the saffron spice crop produced under different Moroccan environments has to be evaluated prior to recommendation for commercial production. For this purpose, saffron was...

The substances responsible for saffron’s characteristic quality are crocins, picrocrocin, and safranal. The drying process is critical to the saffron quality as measured by levels of secondary metabolites, crocin (color and anti-tumor properties), picrocrocin (taste), and safranal (aroma). Four different dehydration methods were evaluated: Iranian traditional method (room temperature); dehy...

Saffron is considered as the most expensive spice in world. Due to low production, high demand and cost, saffron very prone adulteration for economic benefits while putting public health at risk. The significant characteristic determining quality of coloring strength (crocin content), which determined by measuring UV-Vis absorption 440 nm aqueous preparations this spice. Picrocrocin safranal ar...

the substances responsible for saffron’s characteristic quality are crocins, picrocrocin, and safranal. the drying process is critical to the saffron quality as measured by levels of secondary metabolites, crocin (color and anti-tumor properties), picrocrocin (taste), and safranal (aroma). four different dehydration methods were evaluated: iranian traditional method (room temperature); dehydrat...

background & aim: saffron is one of the expensive spices known since antiquity for its color, flavor and medicinal properties. saffron is the dried stigma of crocus sativus plant. the three basic components of the stigma on which the qualitative characteristics of saffron depend are crocin (color), picrocrocin (taste), and safranal (aroma). the quality of saffron is a function of climatic c...

The effect of parabens on the shelf-life of crocetin esters and picrocrocin in aqueous saffron solutions was studied. Degradation of saffron crocetin esters fits a first-order kinetics model, and the results indicated that the crocetin (beta-D-glucosyl)-(beta-D-gentiobiosyl) esters were more stable than the crocetin di-(beta-D-gentiobiosyl) esters regardless of whether trans and cis isomers wer...

A procedure allowing hydrolysis reactions to be conducted in a dynamic supercritical-CO2 medium was developed for quantifying total safranal (viz. free safranal present in the sample+safranal resulting from picrocrocin hydrolysis), which are the main component of the essential oil and responsible for the characteristic aroma of saffron. The proposed method allows total safranal amounts over the...