Saffron is the commercial name of flower stigmas with the scientific name Crocus sativus L. The stigma is actually a part of the pistil in the middle of the flower. Saffron, or red gold, is an expensive foodstuff, and its cultivation in the agricultural sector is considered a valuable business. One of the problems in trading and buying and selling saffron is to recognize its authenticity. Certainly, by selling fake saffron, a lot of money comes into the hands of fraudulent people. It may be difficult for many buyers to distinguish real saffron from fake saffron. No one likes to pay a lot of money to buy saffron, to find out that he has lost his head and what he bought was fake saffron. By knowing the methods of distinguishing genuine saffron from fake, you can stop fraudulent sellers from profiteering.
Using saffron to prepare food is good because of its color, aroma, and taste, which makes it tasty and gives better results in cooking the desired food. Perhaps, by using fake saffron, it is possible to add color to food to some extent, but regardless of the external appearance of using saffron, such as aroma, taste, and color, one cannot expect positive effects from eating fake saffron. Saffron is joyful and can affect a person's better mood, so stay ahead to recognize the original saffron.
Original saffron
Since ancient times, the countries of Iran, Spain, India and Greece have been pioneers in the cultivation of saffron and have been able to maintain the global trade of this valuable food until today. The amount of coloring, the percentage of crotin that makes the taste bitter, and the complete purity of saffron are measured in the laboratory, but by knowing some methods, you can identify the original saffron from its fake type. First, you should know saffron in terms of appearance. The branch of saffron stigmas is trumpet-shaped at the top and narrows at the bottom. The color of saffron is hot red.
One of the ways to recognize the original saffron is the proper use of the word Shirin. Good saffron always has a sweet aroma and not a sweet taste. You put one of the strands of saffron on your tongue. If you feel a sweet taste in your mouth, this is fake saffron. Sometimes profit-seeking people dip saffron in honey or sugar to increase its weight. Original saffron is slightly bitter or sometimes it does not give any special taste.
How to distinguish original saffron from fake saffron?
Another sure way to identify the original saffron is its aroma. For this solution, you must know the original saffron fragrance well. The scent of original saffron is very attractive and exciting, if you know what the real scent of honey and alfalfa is like, you can most likely recognize the scent of original saffron. This perfume is a combination of honey and alfalfa. The fresher the saffron, the stronger its smell.
Pour some saffron into cold water, you will notice that the color of the water will change after a while. But the main point here is how to recognize fake saffron. When you take the original saffron stigmas out of the water, the original color of the stigmas has not changed much. But in fake saffron, after removing them from the water, you will see that the color added to the saffron stigmas has completely disappeared, it does not look like before and has turned white. In addition, original saffron has a slower coloring speed, so if saffron returns color quickly, there is no doubt about the use of chemical dyes in it. The color of original saffron in water is yellow-orange and red and of course transparent. A strong red color in the water is not a good sign, the chemicals used to make saffron more colorful may be harmful to your health.
Saffron stigmas are not originally shiny. Sometimes, in the preparation of fake saffron, the stigmas of other plants, including corn, are dyed and sold instead of the original type. The stigmas of these two plants are very similar and the difference is that the saffron stigmas are curved, which can help you identify the original type. Gulrang looks very similar to original saffron, so don't be fooled by its appearance and pay more attention to its color and smell.
Pour some saffron on the paper or press it between your fingers. If the fat stains remain on the paper, it shows that unfortunately the saffron you bought is fake and maybe fat has been added to it to increase its weight. Original saffron turns into powder when crushed between paper.
Another way
One of the interesting ways to identify the original saffron is to add some baking soda to the water and stir it well. Then add a little saffron to the solution. If the saffron is real, the mixture of water and baking soda will turn yellow, but if it is fake, the solution will turn pale red.
Put a little saffron on the gas stove and on the city gas flame. If its color changes to purple or orange, be happy that you have real saffron in your hand. Fake saffron turns yellow. Also, original saffron does not dissolve in gasoline, and if you pour a little of it into gasoline, it should not change its color.
Methods of selling fake saffron
Unfortunately, some profit seekers, in order to get their products to the customers as optimal products, do inappropriate methods in order to somehow make a profit. Some people, by using original saffron, combine some other ingredients such as salt, sugar or even flower with it to increase its weight and gain more profit. Sometimes the stigmas are dipped in honey or sap to make them heavier. Some other people also use artificial color to increase the coloring power of saffron. It is recommended to buy saffron only from healthy and unpowered stigmas so that the possibility of fraud in their preparation is less. Saffron spray is not a guarantee of their originality. If the price of the saffron you are buying is surprisingly cheaper than other types of models, then doubt buying it.
You should also consider some points regarding the storage of saffron. Keep it away from light, heat and moisture, and especially if you store saffron in powdered form, put it in a closed glass or plastic container so that air does not enter it. If the storage conditions of saffron are not suitable, the saffron essence evaporates, the composition of the cream is kept for a shorter period of time, and it may lose its medicinal effects to some extent.
