Saffron

Saffron is a spice derived from the sterile, autumn-blooming flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus; its vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads in the trade, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colorant in food. The saffron crocus was slowly propagated across much of Eurasia and later brought to parts of North Africa, North America and Oceania, and saffron's distinctive taste and hay-like fragrance result from the phytochemicals picrocrocin and safranal, while a carotenoid pigment called crocin gives dishes and textiles it colors a rich golden-yellow hue. Saffron quality is objectively measured under the ISO 3632 standard, which evaluates the concentration of these active phytochemicals by spectrophotometry.