Why saffron is expensive?
Saffron is known as the most expensive spice in the world because its harvesting from saffron fields is completely manual and requires a lot of manpower and time spent at a certain point.
For many years, saffron has been used in medicine, perfume, food, and beverage industries as one of the best spices in the world.
How is saffron prepared?
Like other spices, saffron is divided into different models based on its quality, harvesting method, climate, separation of its filaments from flowers, drying type, as well as its picking time, and price.
Harvesting, which includes picking the flower and removing the stigma from the flower, is the most difficult and at the same time the most sensitive stage. The life of the flowers is 3 to 4 days and if they are not harvested on time, they will wither and die. Also, if the flowers are exposed to hot weather, wind and sunlight for a long time, the quality of color and fragrance will decrease and the quality of saffron will decrease. The best time to pick saffron flowers is early in the morning before the flowers open when they are in the form of buds.
The time of harvesting flowers also depends on the conditions of the region. The flowering period of saffron field is 15 to 25 days and the maximum flowering is on the seventh to tenth day. The stigma of saffron should be separated from the petal immediately because the yellow pollen of the flag is placed on the stigmas, their separation will damage the stigmas and reduce the value and marketability of commercial saffron.
The time of transferring the flowers from the ground and separating the stigma from the flower should be short, because the flowers rot quickly. This step should be done carefully and health issues should be observed.
The method of drying stigmas affects the quality and value of commercial saffron. In the industrial method, drying systems are used.
Super Negin saffron, the main saffron exported abroad, is being examined by Tida Saffron.
In saffron flowers, three stigmas are surrounded by purple petals, and they are used to prepare this spice.
As we discussed in this article, saffron has many health benefits. Here are some of its medicinal properties
What are the properties of saffron?
Treatment of bladder stones
Assisting in digestion and crushing bladder stones can be accomplished by drinking saffron flower tea. To cure kidney stones, most doctors recommend drinking a cup of saffron every day.
Improving heart diseases
A study conducted on patients with heart problems found that patients with high cholesterol had an increased risk of heart disease. It is also believed that the saffron flower has anti-radical properties that may help heart health and increase blood circulation. Saffron has antioxidant properties that help lower blood cholesterol.
Treatment of skin acne
Urban living exposes us to a lot of skin infections and acne and skin complications are more prevalent than ever. Saffron’s antioxidant properties neutralize free radicals and are beneficial to skin health, as we’ve mentioned before. In the pharmaceutical industry, saffron is widely used.
Treatment of blood pressure
It is possible to develop high blood pressure or low blood pressure as a result of complications associated with brain diseases, heart diseases, or anemia… The components of the saffron flower, including safranal and crocin, regulate blood pressure and prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Reducing menstrual pain
Are you one of those people who suffer from painful periods? I am happy to inform you that you have good news to share. Serotonin is deficient in the body, which is why we menstruate every month. Serotonin is increased by saffron, reducing muscle soreness and other symptoms such as anxiety, anger, overeating, and migraines.
The results of our study indicate that saffron has a wide range of properties
For more information about the properties of saffron, refer to the article Benefits of saffron.
Why is saffron so costly?
The process of harvesting saffron requires heavy physical labor to pick the flowers from the ground and bring them to the final packaging location. On agricultural land, this isn’t done automatically and with agricultural machines, but by a lot of manual labor
In addition to being very difficult to harvest, saffron is also a very expensive spice. In order to obtain saffron, you need to use saffron flowers. In addition, each flower has three red stigmas, which are the stigmas of saffron. For harvesting, you need a lot of workers. At certain hours, to work on agricultural land.
It is possible for saffron quality to be affected by relative humidity when it is higher. In addition to its chemical structure being broken down by sunlight, saffron can also be damaged by heat. Tida Saffron harvests saffron every morning very early in the morning before sunrise so that the saffron flowers do not wither. This is why we can provide the best quality saffron in the world. The saffron in this product is from Khorasan, a region of Iran.
The following are the main reasons why saffron is expensive:
Saffron grows best in subtropical regions with a balanced climate, as it is not compatible with any other environment. For this plant to grow successfully, winters must be warm and dry and summers must be hot and dry. Planting this plant requires at least -50 degrees Celsius and at most 35 to 40 degrees Celsius. Khorasan has such an environment.This was one of the reasons why saffron is expensive
For planting this plant in soil with sandy clay soil that has a pH of 7-8. The soil suitable for planting saffron should be sweet, fertile, and free of weeds. This plant should also not be planted on land that has been cultivated for several years before being planted
Another reason for the high price of saffron is land preparation. Deep plowing is done in autumn or winter and weeds are removed in spring.
4.Preparing and planting saffron onions (Bulbs):
It is possible to prepare high-quality and healthy onions (Bulbs) from the beginning of July to the end of September. When preparing onions (Bulbs), care must be taken that they are free of contamination and fungi. Onions(Bulbs) should be planted immediately to maintain vigor.
5.How to irrigate:
After planting onions (Bulbs), irrigate the field. Since saffron is resistant to dehydration, it does not need much irrigation. Because this plant sleeps in summer, it should not be watered.
is saffron more valvable than gold?
To prepare 450 grams of saffron, it is necessary to separate the stamens of 170,000 saffron flowers by hand. Therefore, it can be said that the main reason why saffron is expensive spice is the need to employ many workers to harvest it.
how can you tell if saffron is real?
One of the ways to recognize the original saffron is to taste it, the original saffron has a bitter taste and should not taste anything other than sweet.
To read more about the diagnosis of original saffron, refer to the how do identify genuine and fake saffron article.