Standard operating procedure of Ukrainian Saffron Cultivation According with Good Agricultural and Collection Practices to assure quality and traceability

Abstract

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the most expensive spices in the world. At the international trading and pharmaceutical market, an establishment of saffron quality in accordance with the International Standardization Organization (ISO) specifications, the European Medicines Agency, Food and Drug Administration, and European Pharmacopeia is obligatory. The medicinal properties of saffron can be used in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries if the quality of raw materials is clearly controlled on all levels of production. In 2015, the scale cultivation of saffron in the Kherson region (Ukraine) for food purposes was started. Therefore, it was decided to develop the standard operating procedure of saffron cultivation in accordance with the Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) rules to ensure the traceability of the plant material origin. For this purpose, saffron was grown in seven different experimental zones with a disparity of altitudes, soils and climates of Ukraine. Each saffron sample harvested in 2016/2018 was processed to determine the moisture content, total ash and amount of picrocrocin, crocins, and safranal using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy according to the ISO 3632. The best yield was 40 g/100 m2 in Cherson region. To obtain a stable crop and quality, the cultivation and harvest processing of saffron should be carried out in accordance with the proposed GACP standards. In addition, the quality of raw materials complies with the standards of European Pharmacopoeia and Deutscher Arzneimittel Codex as a medicinal plant material. Our analysis showed that Ukraine has a good ecological conditions and indicators for saffron cultivation as a food spice and pharmaceutical drugs.