SAFFRON QUALITY OBTAINED UNDER DIFFERENT FORCING CONDITIONS, CONSIDERING VARIOUS VEGETATIVE STAGES OF CORMS

Abstract

The aim of this work is to study the effects of growing Crocus sativus L. under different forcing conditions and harvested corms during different vegetative stages on the primary quality compounds of the saffron obtained: crocetin esters, picrocrocin and safranal. Crocus sativus L. corms were harvested in two different vegetative stages, 20 days prior to leaf senescence (V3–20 d) and shortly after leaf senescence (V3). They were then placed in two different storage conditions for forcing, and the corms were kept in incubation conditions at 25 °C for 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days, and in ultra-low oxygen (ULO) cooling chambers for 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days. Subsequently, the flowers of the corms grown under controlled environmental conditions were harvested, and the stigmas were dehydrated. Finally, the saffron quality was analyzed according to ISO 3632:2011 with respect to colouring strength (parameter at 440 nm), bitterness (parameter at 257 nm) and aromatic strength (parameter at 330 nm), and the amount of the primary quality compounds was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The corms of Crocus sativus L. were able to remain in incubation conditions for 30 to 120 days and in the ULO chamber for 30 to 90 days with a saffron quality similar to that of traditionally grown saffron; the best saffron quality results were found for incubation conditions in vegetative stage V3–20 d for 30 days.