Saffron Oil

#### Saffron. The freshly picked botanical material (saffron) is virtually odorless. Steam distillation of the dried botanical material yields extremely little essential oil (see below). However, the **Saffron**** ****Oil **has been known for more than a century, presumably because of the interest in the botanical material since time immemorial. The plant, **Crocus**** ****Sativus**, originated in western Asia, Asia Minor and countries of the eastern Mediterranean area. The plant is the autumn flowering cousin of the well known (spring flowering) garden crocus. Most saffron comes from Spain and Turkey, smaller quantities from Greece, Persia, India and the U.S.S.R. Saffron is the dried ends (tops) of the three-branched stylus in the flower. When dry, this material presents a most peculiar, intensely sweet, spicy, floral-aldehydic odor with a slightly fatty-herbaceous undertone. The dried botanical material is used in Asia as a condiment in food, and in Asia and Europe it finds use as a coloring agent (textile dye), producing a magnificent and unique orange-yellow color. The odor is partly due to the presence of an aldehyde, **Safranal**** **(2,6,6-trimethyl-cyclohexadien-4,6-al-(1). This aldehyde will appear in the botanical material only after decomposition of a glycoside, a so-called precursor to the aldehyde. The glycoside is odorless, hence the absence of odor in the freshly picked material. **Saffron Oil **is not commercially available. A tincture of saffron is usually produced by the consumer according to his needs. By petroleum ether extraction of saffron and subsequent decomposition of the glycosidic extract with lukewarm water, the aldehyde is liberated. An essential oil *can *be produced directly from the saffron by water distillation in carbon dioxide atmosphere. The oil is pale yellow, mobile and possesses a fresh, strong odor, recalling that of the botanical material. However, the essential oil is extremely unstable. It is advantageous to prepare a concentrated tincture from saffron with diluted alcohol under gentle heating (infusion-tincture). A 20 **% **tincture will serve most perfumery and flavor purposes since the penetrative strength of this material is easily underestimated. Minute additions to violet perfumes, narcissus or even neroli bases can produce quite beautiful results, unobtainable by other means. In flavors, **Saffron Tincture **is a useful and interesting additive to essences for carbonated beverages where it lends a solid, natural body and blends well with other naturals such as hop, ginger, bitter and sweet orange, etc. Interesting effects are obtained with saffron tincture in apple essences, wine flavors, apricot, plum, cherry, etc. **Saffron**, as such, is one of the most expensive botanical raw materials, the cost of an average quality being about US $ 90.— to $ 150.— per kilo.