Botanical adulteration bulletin helps industry navigate faux saffron ingredients

15 Mar 2022 --- An international consortium of three NGOs has released a new Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) bulletin on saffron (Crocus sativus) stigmas and extracts. The bulletin provides practical information about the types of saffron adulteration in the market and what specifications to consider when purchasing this botanical.

“Some types of adulteration are readily uncovered, even by a non-expert, for example, by looking at the color of the liquid when adding saffron to hot water,” says Stefan Gafner, chief science officer at the American Botanical Council (ABC) and bulletin co-author.

Other types are more sophisticated and need state-of-the-art analytical methods for detection.

The BAPP is supported by the American Botanicals Council (ABC), the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) and the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR).

Each saffron plant produces only one flower with a three-branched stigma emerging from its style.False friends 
Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world, providing an incentive for economically motivated adulteration. Its labor-intensive cultivation, harvest and processing earn it a wholesale and retail price from US$500 to US$5,000. 

“In collecting samples for analysis, we have received plastic stigmas and safflower as well as high-quality material,” says BAPP partner Roy Upton, president of AHP.

“This makes bulletins such as this all the more valuable for informing stakeholders of the level of sophistication in the world of saffron adulteration.”

Other adulterants include red-dyed paper strips, silk fibers, and corn (Zea mays) stigmas dyed in beet (Beta vulgaris) juice, as well as pomegranate (Punica granatum) fruit peel or fibers, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) and calendula (Calendula officinalis) flowers and various other naturally red-colored plant materials. 

Some adulterators have also mixed powdered saffron with ground turmeric (Curcuma longa) or paprika (Capsicum annuum) as undisclosed lower-cost bulking agents.

Joining forces 
The bulletin summarizes the published data on saffron stigma adulteration and lists known adulterants. It provides an overview of the market and value networks (supply chains) and discusses macroscopic, microscopic, genetic and chemical test methods to detect adulteration of saffron stigmas and its extracts. 

The saffron stigmas are the red-colored, thread-like parts of the female organ of the flower. The bulletin was peer-reviewed by 20 experts in pharmacognosy (the knowledge of the science of medicinal plants) and botanical ingredient analysis from academia, contract analytical laboratories and the dietary supplement and food industries in the US and internationally.

“The adulteration issue related to saffron is known to all of us, but it takes a team of experts to document it scientifically and provide tools to mitigate it,” says Ikhlas Khan, Ph.D., director of the NCNPR at the University of Mississippi. 

A plant with many benefits 
Saffron has a documented history of usage throughout antiquity, mainly as a spice and food ingredient. 

Besides its culinary applications, saffron has been used for centuries in traditional medicine systems as a remedy for wounds, fever, lower back pain, digestive upset. 

It is also known for its mood-enhancing effects. Modern therapeutic uses of saffron extract, supported by published clinical trials, include the relief of mild-to-moderate depression, anxiety and stress. 

There is also growing evidence from clinical trials of saffron extract’s beneficial effects on sleep.

The saffron bulletin is BAPP’s 25th bulletin and 71st peer-reviewed publication to date. The latest bulletin included contributions from scientists at Pharmanza Herbal and Verdure Sciences working in the herbal supply industry.

By Missy Green