Saffron - Saffron is really divine as rumor?

Is the most expensive spice in the world - sometimes up to 65 USD / gr, but why do many people still hunt for Saffron to be beautiful?

Lately, many people have stirred up a "treasure" that has just been used as an herb to both serve as a special spice. Moreover, this herb has a divine effect - restoring antioxidants, preventing the ability to cause cancer . and even beauty.

And the herb mentioned here is Saffron (saffron).

What is saffron?

Saffron is the name of a spice made from saffron flower pistil.

Saffron is the name for a spice made from - a perennial plant for flowers in the fall. This plant adapts well to the special climate of Mediterranean soil with hot and dry summer winds.

Therefore, countries like Iran, Greece, Morocco and Kashmir are thought to be the capital of saffron cultivation and production, especially Iran when the country produces 90% of the saffron worldwide.

Speaking of Saffron, perhaps the first point is that people are impressed by their high price.

For the highest quality saffron product, its price can be up to 65USD / gr (about 1.4 million VND / gr). And it is not wrong to say that saffron is more expensive than many precious metals and is said to be "red gold".

So why is Saffron so expensive?

Each saffron tree has only 4 flowers, each flower has 3 pistils.

To answer this question, we first need to consider how people make Saffron.Saffron is the pistil of saffron flowers. And you know, every saffron tree has only 4 flowers, each with 3 stamens.

In order to harvest Saffron, one must pick by hand each fiber in a flower, and to obtain 1kg of saffron will need to pick between 11,000 and 17,000 saffron flowers.

This harvest takes about 40 hours under normal conditions - that is, equivalent to the one-week work time of civil servants to create only 1 kg of unclassified products.

After classification, saffron is divided into the following categories:

• Negin : the best type, selected from high quality pistil fibers and removed the pistil.
• Sargol : lost to Negin a bit when using smaller and smaller stamens.
• Pushali : this is the type that does not cut off the yellow pistil and the upper body to increase the weight, the quality is also less than the two.
• Bunch : is the type that is harvested with the whole string, bunched into small bundles, so it is difficult to check the quality of the pistil fiber inside.
• Konji (konge) : It is the original part which is removed from negin and sargol.

Each type has a different price, depending on the quality and ranges from about 1,100 to 11,000 USD / kg (about 25 - 250 million VND / kg), turning saffron into the most expensive spices in the world.

But is Saffron "expensive to slice out"?

There are quite a number of scientific studies that show that saffron spice has many health benefits.

Research published on Eurekalert shows that saffron spices work to prevent the effects of a range of chemical compounds that can cause cancer and restore antioxidants (such as superoxide dismutase ) has the effect of inhibiting cancer cells.

Saffron is used as a component of masks when it has a pigmentation and skin lightening effect.

Previously, there have been many studies showing the benefits of saffron pistil are effective against depression, dementia, or as an antioxidant.

And the most recent is the sister's sorrowful use of Saffron's beauty.

Accordingly, in saffron there are a variety of chemical components such as vitamin A, copper, potassium, iron, zinc, folic acid, and some types of oil-soluble pigments such as alpha-carotene, beta-carotene .

These ingredients work together to create a distinctive flavor, color, and aroma of saffron and work on the health and skin of users.

In particular about beauty, Saffron is used as a component of masks when it works to reduce pigmentation, lightening the skin, especially the face and dark circles under the eyelids, as well as blurring scars and marks. deep.

Just mix a few strands of saffron flower pistachio with a sufficient amount of honey, massage or cover your face 2 to 3 times a week. The skin will change markedly after a few months of use.

In addition, saffron pistil also works to nourish and reduce dry skin: one of the most valuable effects of saffron is its antioxidant and anti-microbial ability. Using basil and saffron masks will have a positive effect on areas of dry skin and acne.

How to distinguish real counterfeit goods

With such economic value, it is obvious that saffron will be greatly faked. Since the Middle Ages, people have discovered cases of mixing saffron with impurities such as sugar beet, pomegranate, red silk . saffron powder is easier to counterfeit with fillers such as turmeric powder, chili powder .

To distinguish the true imitation of filament, the easiest way is to use some cold soaked fibers.

If it is counterfeit, saffron will melt very quickly into the water but it does not have a distinctive aroma, smell of grass and honey. Mild yarns after soaking will be soft and melted.

In contrast, real saffron takes up to 10 minutes to produce orange red, not white or yellow and very fragrant water. Saffron fibers, when picked up, have a certain toughness and are only broken and not dissolved.