Saffron wastes, the gold that is thrown away

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the most expensive plant species in the world. Iran has a main role in producing a significant amount of saffron in the world, which annually produces more than ۴۰۰ tons. Most of saffron production in Iran is cultivating under traditional agricultural systems and forms an important part of the livelihood for family farms. Application of saffron in these systems has been limited to the food industry, textile and pharmacological purposes. The saffron flower after removing the stigmas is usually considered as waste, whereas variable components can be extracted from saffron wastes. In the present study, we focused on the potential of producing byproducts from saffron wastes. The results indicated that there is a high potential in using of saffron waste in cosmetic, fragrance and flavoring markets, food and feed additive and supplementary medicines. As saffron petals are cheaper and produce in large amounts compared to saffron stigma, they can be considered as an appropriate source for different purposes. Some part of the produced wastes is due to the lack of high technologies in traditional saffron production systems and the other part is based on the lack of knowledge and the related technologies in waste management which with introducing novel technologies, significant economic benefits can be expected.

Keywords:

by-product , Crocus sativus , feed additive , waste management