Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) quality of the alpine areas

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is the most expensive food spice used in the food industry and is obtained by drying the pistils of Crocus sativus L. flowers (1). The quality of saffron is determined according to ISO 3632 1,2:2010-2011 which classifies the spice in three different categories (I, II, and III) depending on the amount of crocins (colouring strength), picrocrocin (flavour or bitterness strength) and safranal (aroma strength) (2). In recent years, there has been a greater interest in this spice and consequently an increase in its production, especially in mountain regions like the Alps (3). This has been mostly evident where land was abandoned due to emigration to the cities. This new trend might have a strong impact on the valorisation and economical recovery of mountain areas. In the present study we investigate the quality of saffron produced in the Italian Alps (Fig. 1) by using a spectrophotometric analysis according to ISO 3632 1, 2:2010-2011. All saffron samples (n=29) were produced between November 2015 and March 2016 in different areas of the central Italian Alps at an altitude up to 1143 m a.s.l. The results confirmed a high quality of the spice as most of the samples belong to the “I Category of quality” (Fig. 2) according to the ISO classification. Thus, our study provides valid information about the quality of saffron produced in the Alpine areas and suggests this crop as a powerful as well as strategic resource for the mountain economy. Moreover, it brings sustainable economic value to multifunctional farms in mountain areas such as the Alps.