Evaluation of the organoleptic perception of a new saffron (Crocus sativus L.) powder as a flavoring substitute for saffron stigmas in culinary applications

Abstract

Saffron, the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus L., is one of the most appreciated culinary spices because of its excellent seasoning capacity. Besides, it’s one of the most expensive spices in the world because of its harvest handmade processing. To this aim, a saffron powder has been developed to provide an economical alternative to saffron stigmas for culinary applications. In this work, a mellow rice with confit duck (hot dish) and a creamy cheesecake (cold dessert) were prepared with saffron stigmas and the saffron powder to compare the organoleptic properties and the acceptance of the saffron powder as an alternative to saffron stigma. The culinary study concludes that saffron stigmas and saffron powder were similar and well positioned in terms of overall linking, preference and purchase intention for both the rice and cold dessert dishes. In the case of mellow rice recipe, more than 40% of consumers say that both recipes were very similar, while in the cheesecake recipe only 26% found similarity in the recipes. However, after the informed preference test more than 50% of consumers would prefer saffron powder for cold dishes and more than 60% of consumers would prefer saffron powder for hot dishes.