Saffron and Various Fraud Manners in its Production and Trades

While the world's total annual saffron production is estimated in 300 t per year, Iran produces 76 percent (230 t) of this total. Khorasan province alone accounts for 44895 ha and 172.6 t of the above mentioned totals. Saffron is produced from dried stigmas of Crocus sativus, and is considerate to be the highest priced spice in the world. It is used as spice and food colorant and, less extensively, as a textile dye or perfume and due to its analgesic and sedative properties folk herbal medicines have used saffron for the treatment of numerous illnesses for centuries. The recently advances in the elucidation of the biosynthesis of saffron carotenoids using molecular biology tools, the advances in genomic and molecular genetic analysis, and the botanic and physiological are studied in saffron and allies with the application in vitro technologies for both Micro propagation and genetic improvement of this crop. Nowadays saffron consumption is rising but not as fast as production rate. Therefore due to restriction of its production and also its high price, some efforts have been done for its artificial production and in some cases adversely, frauds has been done grown. In this article we try to survey the various fraud manners in saffron production and trades are being done in the world.

Keywords:

adulteration , Crocus sativus , falsification , fraud , trade