title: Short communication: investigating the effect of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) nano-sizing on its colour extraction efficiency: a preliminary study.
abstract: This study investigated the effect of saffron nano-sizing on its the colour extraction yield. The whole stigma was ball-milled at three different times (10, 20 and 100 h), immediately or with a 24 h delay was submitted to absorption test, and then the colour extraction efficiency was determined. When stigma was milled for 100 h, its particle size was reduced to less than 20 nm, as shown by SEM and TEM images, and its extraction efficiency was considerably increased by 19.8% as compared with the stigma blended for 10 min. However with a 24 h delay between the end of milling and absorption test, the yield of colour extraction significantly decreased. The recommended milling conditions resulting in extraction efficiency of 16.2% (in comparison with stigma blended for 10 min) were determined to be the milling for 10 h with initial tendering prior to milling operation.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Food Science and Technology , Isfahan University of Technology , Isfahan , Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abootalebian
authors.affiliation: b Department of Materials Engineering , Isfahan University of Technology , Isfahan , Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karbasi
authors.affiliation: c Zarafshan Food Products Company , Isfahan , Iran.
authors.forename: Maliheh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sadeghi
authors.affiliation: d Atlas Flour Company, Isfahan University of Technology Blvd. , Isfahan , Iran.
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdinian
authors.affiliation: e Instituto de Física de São Carlos , São Carlos , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Polikarpov
mesh_terms: D002338:Carotenoids; D003116:Color / Q000592:standards; D027622:Crocus / Q000737:chemistry*; D035264:Flowers; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures; D010316:Particle Size; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000592:standards; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010860:Pigments, Biological; D010936:Plant Extracts; D002338:Carotenoids
keywords: SEM; Saffron; TEM; ball milling; colour extraction