RESUMO
Saffron is regarded as the most expensive spice, mainly because of its laborious harvest. Only a few countries dominate the global saffron market, with Iran producing by far the most saffron, and the saffron production of all other countries thus being much smaller. However, the respective national production (not only of saffron) is usually preferred by local consumers with respect to foreign products and often has a higher price. Cases of saffron with mislabeled geographic origin have repeatedly occurred. Thus, to protect local saffron production, control of the declared geographic origin is required. In the present case, differentiation of the geographic origin by 87Sr/86Sr is performed. The results show the saffron of several countries of origin to vary within the range of marine carbonates; however, saffron samples of Moroccan and Indian origin mainly show elevated 87Sr/86Sr values. Within the Indian saffron samples, one sample from Kishtwar Valley can be differentiated from the Kashmir saffron samples. The results are thus promising, especially when using the combination of Sr and Rb concentrations to differentiate geographic origin whenever the regions are of homogenous bedrock geology within and of different geology between the regions. However, the reported findings need to be checked and confirmed by further and additional saffron samples.
RESUMO
Saffron may be spoiled by a variety of microorganisms during cultivation, harvesting, and post harvesting. As saffron can be dried and stored in different ways, this preliminary study explored the natural microbiota present in Moroccan saffron when subjected to different drying techniques. An analysis of the carotenoid-derived volatiles present in the saffron was also carried out. The culturable microbiota of the saffron samples dried using different methods, namely in the shade (also called natural), in the sun, or in the oven, were studied using classical and molecular approaches. The effect of the drying methods on head-space chemical volatiles was also determined. Eighty-two isolates grown in the different culture media were chosen from the colonies, and genotype analysis grouped the microorganisms into 58 clusters, revealing a wide diversity. Out of the 82 isolates, 75 belonged to the Bacillaceae family. The other isolates were distributed within the Dietziaceae, Paenibacillaceae and Carnobacteriaceae families. The dominant species was Bacillus simplex, which was detected in all samples, regardless of the drying method used. Lysinibacillus macroides was dominant in the sun-dried saffron. No pathogens were isolated, but an isolate belonging to Dietzia maris, a potential human pathogenic species, was detected. The biodiversity indexes were linked to the drying method and generally decreased as the intensity of the treatment increased. The results of this preliminary work show that the different drying methods strongly influenced the microbiota and affect the saffron volatile profile. Further analysis will be needed to determine possible effects of selected microbiota on saffron volatiles.
