2023, Volume 16, Issue 6, pp 822 – 836

Phytochemistry, quality control and medicinal uses of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.): an updated review

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Authors and Affiliations

Corresponding Authors: Andi Hermansyah Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia, Email: andi-h@ff.unair.ac.id

Long Chiau Ming School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Sunway City, Malaysia Email: khangwen.goh@newinti.edu.my

Abstract

Saffron, botanically known as Crocus sativus L., is renowned as the world’s most expensive spice and has been utilized in various fields since ancient times. Extensive scientific research has been conducted on Crocus sativus (C. sativus), focusing on its phytochemical composition, diverse applications, and biological activities. C. sativus phytochemicals consist mainly of three compounds, namely crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal, which are responsible for most of its properties. Saffron is rich in bioactive compounds, more than 150 of which have been isolated. Owing to its unique composition and properties, saffron is used in various fields, such as the food industry, perfumery, cosmetics, pharmaceutics, and medicine. However, the high economic value of saffron makes it susceptible to adulteration and various fraudulent practices. To deal with this issue, a number of methods and techniques have been developed to authenticate and determine adulterants in saffron. This paper presents a bibliometric study of saffron based on the Web of Science database, analyzing 3,735 studies published between 2000 and 2021. The study also examined author participation and collaboration networks among countries. Production, transformation, chemical composition, methods of adulteration detection, uses, and health properties of saffron are also discussed.

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About this article

PMC ID: 10478662
PubMed ID: 37675158
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2022-0353

Article Publishing Date (print): 6 2023
Available Online: 

Journal information

ISSN Printing: 1844-122X
ISSN Online: 1844-3117
Journal Title: Journal of Medicine and Life

Copyright License: Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.


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