Saffron

Saffron is the tiny stigma at the center of the crocus flower, Crocus sativus. Because each stigma is plucked from the flower by hand, saffron is one of the most expensive spices in use today. 

The dye molecule in saffron is the carotenoid beta-gentiobiose crocetin. It is related to beta-carotene, and you can see the relationship in the center of the molecule. That center portion is the carotenoid pigment crocetin  

On either side of the crocetin molecule is a disaccharide molecule called beta-gentiobiose, and the result is the molecule that gives saffron its yellow color. 

Saffron is a spice that is used sometimes for flavor, but mostly for the yellow color it imparts to foods. Because of its expense, saffron is often replaced in recipes by another carotenoid, annatto, or the unrelated dye molecule in turmeric. Like the other carotenoid dyes, saffron is an antioxidant, but its expense makes it unsuitable as a preservative or dietary supplement. 

Crocus sativus L., commonly known as saffron, is used in folk medicine as an antispasmodic, eupeptic, gingival sedative, anticatarrhal, nerve sedative, carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, aphrodisiac, and emmenagogue. Furthermore, modem pharmacological studies have demonstrated that saffron extract or its active constituents have antitumor effects, radical scavenger properties, and hypolipemic effects (see Rios et al., 1996). 

In aroma extract dilution analyses (cf. 5.2.2), a compound with a saffron and hay-like odor, which could be 2-hydroxy-4,4,6-tri-methyl-2,5-cyclohexadien-l-one, gave the highest FD factor. This was followed by the terpene aldehyde safranal and an unknown compound, both of which have a saffron odor. Safranal (XXIV) is probably obtained from the bitter substance picrocrocin (XXII) by hydrolysis and elimination of water (Formula 22.6). 

The aroma of horseradish is also influenced by methyl, ethyl, isopropyl and 4-pentenyl iso-thiocyanates which, however, are present only in very small amounts in comparison to allyl isothiocyanate. 

The fresh ginger root has a citrus and camphorlike, flowery, musty, fatty and green odor. In a column chromatographic preliminary separation of an extract, the characteristic aroma substances appeared in the fraction of the oxidized hydrocarbons. The highest FD factors in dilution analyses were obtained for geraniol, linalool, geranial, cit-ronellyl acetate, bomeol, 1,8-cineol and neral. 

---

Saffron [138-55-6] Safimax Safi ex Safe an Safranin Safranine dyes Safranine T Safranine T [477-73-6] Safrole [94-59-7]... 

The most important considerations in marketing and estabUshing a crop from a new source are constancy of supply and quahty. Eor some spices, it is difficult to reduce labor costs, as some crops demand individual manual treatment even if grown on dedicated plantations. Only the individual stigmas of the saffron flower must be picked cinnamon bark must be cut, peeled, and roUed in strips mature unopened clove buds must be picked by hand and orchid blossoms must be hand pollinated to produce the vanilla bean. 

In 1991, vanilla beans were the highest valued spice import, with shipments totaling 69.0 million, followed by black and white pepper at 60.6 million, capsicum peppers and paprika at 42.6 million, sesame seed at 40.6 million, and cassia and cinnamon at 27.8 million. The most expensive spices, on a unit value basis, include saffron, 1116/kg average New York spot vanilla beans, 80.50/kg for Bourbon beans from Madagascar, Comoros, and Reunion, and 22.05/kg for Java beans and cardamom, 38.54/kg for grade AA bleached Indian and 3.88/kg for Guatemalan mixed greens. 

Saffron. Saffron spice is the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae), a bulbous perennial native to southern Europe and Asia Minor and cultivated in the Mediterranean countries, particularly Spain. Tme saffron should not be confused with either meadow saffron, ie, Colchicum autumnale L. (Lihaceae) also called safflower, or bastard saffron, ie, Carthamus tinctorius L. (Compositae), both of which are occasionally used to adulterate tme saffron. 

The coloring principles of saffron are crocin [42553-65-1] and crocetin [27876-94-4J. Crocin is the gentiobiose diester of crocetin (44)... 

In addition to the U.S. certified coal-tar colorants, some noncertified naturally occurring plant and animal colorants, such as alkanet, annatto [1393-63-17, carotene [36-884] C qH, chlorophyll [1406-65-17, cochineal [1260-17-9] saffron [138-55-6] and henna [83-72-7], can be used in cosmetics. In the United States, however, natural food colors, such as beet extract or powder, turmeric, and saffron, are not allowed as cosmetic colorants. 

Crocetin [27876-94-4] Cl Natural Yellow 6 Cl 75100) occurs in saffron as crocin [42553-65-1] (46), the digentiobiose ester of crocetin (47). 

Saffron is found in the pistils of the plant Crocus sativus. Saffron is often confused with safflower, sometimes known as bastard saffron. The name of the plant. Crocus sativus, comes from the Arabic word faran, meaning yellow. The Romans and the Greeks used saffron not only as a dye but also as a spice. In the early days of Greece, yellow was the official color, and Grecian women were especially fond of clothes dyed with saffron. Because of its scarcity, saffron ranked among the most expensive dyes of the ancient world. 

Eisen-reihe, /. iron aeries, -refin, -resinit, m. (Min.) humboldtine. -rhodanid, n. ferric thiocyanate, iron(III) thiocyanate, -rho-daniir, n. ferrous thiocyanate. iron(II) thiocyanate. -rogenstein, m. oolitic iron ore. -rohr, n., -rohre, /. iron pipe or tube, -rost, m. iron rust, -rostwasser, n. iron liquor, iron mordant, -rot, n. colcothar. -safraQt m. saffron (or crocus) of Mars, -salmiak, m. (Pharm.) ammoniated iron, iron and ammonium chloride, -salz, n. iron salt, -sand, m. ferruginous sand, -sau, /. iron sow. 

Herberge, /. inn shelter, herblich, a. sourish, subacid somewhat harsh. Berbst, m. autumn, -rose, /. hollyhock, -zeit-lose, /. meadow saffron. 

The restaurant, designed by Jacques Garcia with Mr. Vongerichten, and the staff, dressed in saffron-orange by Alpana... 

Some colors are nutrients in their own right, and they have antioxidant properties that are beneficial to health. Beta-carotene, annatto, saffron, and turmeric all have these good properties in addition to their color. In fact, the same chemistry that makes them absorb light also helps them to absorb and neutralize dangerous oxygen free radicals in the body. 

Annatto provides color in cheese, butter, margarine, and microwave popcorn. It is often used as a substitute for the expensive herb saffron. It also has antioxidant properties. 

Beta-carotene is used in foods to provide color (margarine would look as white as vegetable shortening without it). Another similar molecule, annatto, is used in cheeses. Another famous carotenoid dye, saffron, is used to color rice and other foods. 

Ground turmeric rhizome is one of the main ingredients in curry powder. Its bright yellow color makes it a natural substitute for the much more expensive herb saffron. 

Several groups of drugs that bind to tubulin at different sites interfere with its polymerization into microtubules. These drugs are of experimental and clinical importance (Bershadsky and Vasiliev, 1988). For example, colchicine, an alkaloid derived from the meadow saffron plant Colchicum autumnale or Colchicum speciosum), is the oldest and most widely studied of these drugs. It forms a molecular complex with tubulin in the cytosol pool and prevents its polymerization into microtubules. Other substances such as colcemid, podophyllotoxin, and noco-dazole bind to the tubulin molecule at the same site as colchicine and produce a similar effect, albeit with some kinetic differences. Mature ciliary microtubules are resistant to colchicine, whereas those of the mitotic spindle are very sensitive. Colchicine and colcemid block cell division in metaphase and are widely used in cytogenetic studies of cultured cells to enhance the yield of metaphase plate chromosomes. 

Crocus sativus petals Crocin, crocetin (saffron) Food colouring... 

---