Vitamins saffron

Food and feed additives do not stand back with regard to the diversity of products. They extend from minerals, mainly calcium, phosphorus, and potassium, to amino acids, vitamins and natural spices. All in all, there are several hundred individual compounds used as feed and food additives. The most expensive product is saffron, made from the stigmas of the saffron crocus flower. The yearly production amounts to about 700,000 kg, and the spice is retailing for about 2500/kg. Amino acids play a big role the largest product is monosodium glutamate (MSG), with a yearly production of 1.5-2 million tons and a price of about 2.30 per kilogram, followed by L-lysine (850,000 tons/ 1.50/kg), D,L-methionine (600,000 tons/ 3/kg), L-threonine (85,000 tons, 3.40/kg), and L-tryptophane (1750 tons/ 24/kg). Major producers of... 

Crocetin (C20) is a yellow (IP)2—(PI)2-derived dicarboxylic, acid (generalized structure -OOG-Gig-GOO-) from the styles of Crocus sativus (Iridaceae) (the saffron of Indian cooking and Buddhist robes). Grocin, the digentiobiose ester of crocetin, is water soluble, unlike other carotenoids which are lipophilic (fat soluble). Crocetin is a protein kinase inhibitor. Excess vitamin A (or excess pro-vitamin A) ingestion is toxic (dog liver consumption having caused the death of Sir Douglas Mawson s explorer companions in the Antarctic by this mechanism). 

Various natural pigments, including carotenoids, are widely used as additives to provide an attractive colour to manufactured foods (Nir et al., 1993 Antony and Shankaranarayana, 2001 Baker, 2001). Natural extracts have been used for this purpose for centuries, especially annatto, saffron, tomato, paprika and red palm oil. In the food industry, carotenoids are prepared in oily or aqueous mecha, including emulsions, colloidal suspensions, and complexes with proteins (Klaui, 1979). These preparations find widespread applications in margarine, butter, fmit juices and beverages, canned soups, dairy products, desserts and mixes, preserves and symps, sugar and flour confectionery, salad dressings, meat, pasta, and egg products. Carotenoids are also widely used as additives in animal feeds to impart the desired colour to animal tissues or to derived products, or to provide adequate vitamin supplies. 

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