Characterisation of secondary metabolites in saffron from central Italy (Cascia, Umbria).
Saffron's quality depends on the concentration of secondary metabolites, such as crocins, picrocrocin and safranal. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of drying conditions on the secondary metabolite contents of saffron produced in the area of Cascia, in central Italy. Different aliquots of the same saffron sample were subjected to various dehydration conditions and analysed by UV-Vis spectrophotometry to determine crocins, picrocrocin and safranal.. Safranal was also analysed by high resolution gas chromatography, while the crocins and picrocrocin were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and mass spectrometric detectors. The results of chromatographic analyses showed that the samples dried in the milder conditions had the lowest content of secondary metabolites. Moreover the sample dried at 60°C for 55min presented the highest contents of trans-crocin-4 and picrocrocin, while safranal was most represented in saffron dried at 55°C for 95min.
Università degli Studi di Perugia, Dipartimento di Scienze Economico-Estimative e degli Alimenti, Sezione di Chimica Bromatologica, Biochimica, Fisiologia e Nutrizione, Via San Costanzo, 06126 Perugia, Italy. Electronic address: lina.cossignani@unipg.it.
Lina
L
Cossignani
Eleonora
E
Urbani
Maria Stella
MS
Simonetti
Angela
A
Maurizi
Claudia
C
Chiesi
Francesca
F
Blasi
D002338:Carotenoids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D027622:Crocus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D053138:Cyclohexenes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005960:Glucosides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D007558:Italy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D064210:Secondary Metabolism; D013729:Terpenes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
D053138:Cyclohexenes; D005960:Glucosides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013729:Terpenes; D002338:Carotenoids; C087963:safranal; C029036:crocin; C087962:picrocrocin
HPLC-DAD-MS; HRGC-FID; Saffron; Secondary metabolites; UV–Vis spectrophotometry