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Changes in Pigments and Volatiles of Saffron ( C rocus sativus L) During Processing and Storage
Author(s) -
Raina Bansi L,
Agarwal Shri G,
Bhatia Ashok K,
Gaur Govind S
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0010(199605)71:1<27::aid-jsfa542>3.0.co;2-u
Subject(s) - safranal , crocus sativus , flavour , crocin , chemistry , pigment , food science , crocus , moisture , botany , biology , organic chemistry , biochemistry
Significant variations were observed in the concentration of pigments (10·0–17·0%, moisture‐free basis) and flavour components during different post‐harvest processing conditions of saffron (stigmas ex Crocus sativus L). The crocin pigments concentration was highest (15–17%) in the saffron samples dried between 35°C and 50°C either in a solar dryer or in an oven dryer and this also resulted in considerable reduction of normal drying time. Under these conditions the main flavouring component, safranal, was at its peak value of 60% in the oil in almost all the samples except the vacuum oven dried samples which interestingly contained 4‐β‐hydroxysafranal in major amounts. Studies indicated that 4‐β‐hydroxysafranal may be an intermediate in the formation of safranal. It was observed that prolonged storage affected the pigments and flavour concentration to a great extent, but proper packaging and storage with 5% moisture in the saffron reduced the deterioration, thereby increasing the shelflife of the product.