Saffron is one of the highly prized spices known since antiquity for its color, flavor and medicinal properties. It is the dried “stigma” or threads of the flower of the Crocus sativus plant. It is a bulbous perennial plant that belongs to the family of Iridaceae, in the genus, Crocus, and known botanically as Crocus sativus.

In India, this exotic spice is grown in Kashmir. The saffron of Kashmir aka. Kashmiri Kesar is famous for its quality and aroma.

The Crocus sativus plant grows to about 15-20cm in height and bears lavender colored flowers during each season which lasts from October until November. Each flower features perianth consisting of a stalk, known as “style,” connecting to three “stigmas” or threads to the rest of the plant. These orange-yellow colored stigmas along with the “style” constitute “saffron” a prized condiment spice.

Good saffron crop production demands cold, dry climate with well-drained rich fertile soil and irrigation facilities or sufficient amount of rainfall. The flowers harvested during the early-morning hours and soon their stigma separated, allowed to dry, and packed for marketing.

Saffron has a distinct flavor that comes from chemical compounds in it such as picrocrocin, and safranal. It also contains a natural carotenoid chemical compound, crocin, which gives saffron its golden-yellow hue. These traits along with its medicinal properties make it an invaluable food ingredient for pregnant women and to add flavor in many cuisines.

Health Benefits of Saffron

• Saffron contains several plant-derived chemical compounds that are known to have been antioxidant, disease preventing, and health promoting properties.
• Their flower pistils compose several essential volatile oils, but the most important of them all is safranal which gives saffron its pleasant flavor. Other volatile oils in saffron are cineole, phenethenol, pinene, borneol, geraniol, limonene, p-cymene, linalool, terpinen-4-oil, etc.
• This colorful spice has many non-volatile active components; the most important of them is α-crocin, a carotenoid compound, which gives pistils their natural golden-yellow color. It also contains other carotenoids, including zeaxanthin, lycopene, α- and ß-carotenes. These are important antioxidants that help protect the human body from oxidant-induced stress, cancers, infections and acts as immune modulators.
• The active components in saffron have many therapeutic applications in many traditional medicines as antiseptic, antidepressant, antioxidant, digestive, anti-convulsant.
• This novel spice is an excellent source of minerals like copper, potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, selenium, zinc and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. The human body uses manganese and copper as co-factors for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron is essential for red blood cell production and as a co-factor for cytochrome oxidases enzymes.
• Additionally, it is also rich in many vital vitamins, including vitamin-A, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin-C that is essential for optimum health.

Selection and storage

Fresh spice should feature bright crimson-red color, and when rubbed between fingers, should release a very pleasant aroma and stain golden-yellow. Look for lengthy stamens, each measuring 2 to 4 cm in length. Avoid inferior quality product featuring gray color streaks or light spots on the stigma. This spice has a unique, pungent bitter-honey taste with a pleasant aroma.

Store inside a closed box and keep it in cool dark place away from the light since light rays oxidize the pigments in saffron and offset its flavor.

See the table below for in depth analysis of nutrients:

Saffron (Crocus sativus), Nutritional value per 100 g.

(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)