Saffron Extract

Saffron Extract is derived from the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus L., a member of the Iridaceae family. The dried stigma is the commercially valuable part of the saffron flower and contains a characteristic group of secondary metabolites, particularly crocin/crocins, picrocrocin and safranal. Crocins are water-soluble carotenoid glycosides responsible for much of saffron's characteristic yellow-orange colour, while picrocrocin contributes to its bitter character and safranal is a major aroma compound.

For standardized extracts, Crocin/Crocins are particularly useful as a potency/quality marker. Published analysis of commercial saffron extracts has shown that total crocin content can vary considerably between products; some commercial extracts report approximately 3–4% total crocins, while specialized standardized extracts can be manufactured at substantially higher levels, such as 10% Crocin by HPLC.

Saffron extracts can be produced using water, ethanol or hydroalcoholic extraction, depending on the desired constituent profile and commercial grade. HPLC-DAD and UHPLC-based methods are widely used for characterization and quantification of crocins, picrocrocin and safranal.