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Title : Saffron - how to tell the real deal from a fake
Author(s) :
Source : Phys.Org
Year : 2018
Link : https://phys.org/news/2016-12-saffron-real-fake.html
Country : United Kingdom
Commodity: PP-Herbs and Spices
Abstract: Professor Pat Heslop-Harrison from the University of Leicester Department of Genetics has outlined some of the key ways to tell real saffron from fake, with the real deal providing a unique experience for the senses. In an article for Think: Leicester, the University's platform for academic opinion, Professor Heslop-Harrison suggests that one of the key ways to tell real saffron from a fake is its distinct smell – while fake saffron will have almost no aroma, the smallest amount of genuine saffron will have a characteristic smell. Real saffron will also have a bitter and slightly astringent taste when placed on the tongue. Genuine saffron also has a particular look about it, with a unique coloration and strands of saffron having a diffuse end. Three different compounds, safranal, crocin and picrocrocin, give the aroma, colour and taste respectively in saffron, and each is measured separately when checking if saffron is genuine.