Browsing by Subject "Saffron"

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    A contribution to nutritional studies on Crocus sativus flowers and their value as food
    (Elsevier, 2013-08-02) Serrano Díaz, Jéssica; Sánchez, Ana M.; Martínez Tomé, Magdalena; Winterhalter, Peter; Alonso Díaz-Marta, Gonzalo L.; Tecnología de Alimentos, Nutrición y Bromatología
    About 68 kg of flowers are needed to produce 1 kg of saffron spice, while 63 kg of bio-residues composed of tepals, stamens and styles are generated. The proximate composition, minerals, dietary fiber (DF), sugars, anions and organic acids of flowers of saffron, their parts and bio-residues from saffron spice production have been analyzed. Whole flowers have high ash (7.39 mg/100 g), protein (10.07 mg/100 g) and available carbohydrates (61.2 mg/100 g), and are low in lipids (3.16 mg/100 g). Stamens are the flower parts with the highest contents of ash (11.43 mg/100 g), protein (24.05 mg/100 g), lipids (10.73 mg/100 g), total DF (32.2 mg/100 g) and insoluble DF (21.1 mg/100 g), and the lowest available carbohydrates (33.8 mg/100 g) and total sugars (4.3 mg/100 g). The insoluble/soluble DF ratios of floral bio-residues (1.2), stamens (1.9) and stigmas (1.3) are suitable as a balanced source of DF. These results could contribute to the using flowers of saffron as food, as well as the development of new food products from flowers of saffron and the management and exploitation of the bio-residues obtained in saffron spice production.
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    Effect of daily intake of a saffron infusion on blood cholesterol levels
    (MDPI, 2020-07-10) Bagur, M. José; Salinas, L. Alonso; Jiménez-Monreal, Antonia María; Serrano-Heras, Gemma; Martínez-Tomé, Magdalena; Alonso, Gonzalo L.; Tecnología de Alimentos, Nutrición y Bromatología
    Saffron (Crocus sativus L.), as well as having notable culinary value, has been traditionally used as a medicinal plant due to its bioactivity. Furthermore, its antioxidant properties have been evaluated, and it may have cardiovascular benefits. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system that causes a diminution in the daily physical exercise of patients. This sedentary lifestyle may contribute to an increased incidence of dyslipidaemia in this population, and could explain the increased cardiovascular morbidity. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the intake of a saffron infusion over 96 days on the lipid profile of MS patients. Considering the extraction kinetics of bioactive metabolites, the best way to prepare the infusion was by using ground saffron (PDO “Azafrán de La Mancha”), passed through a 0.5 mm sieve and infused with water at the boiling point (95–100 °C). A total of 35 MS patients took a midafternoon infusion for 96 days; 16 of them completed the treatment. A significant decrease in total blood cholesterol levels from 199.5 to 179.5 mg/dL was observed. Additionally, a significant diminution of triglyceride levels, from 124.0 to 101.0 mg/dL, was observed. In conclusion, the intake of an infusion of 50 mg of “Azafrán de La Mancha” for 96 days had a lipid‐lowering effect in patients with MS.
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    Increasing the Applications of Crocus sativus Flowers as Natural Antioxidants
    (Wiley, 2012-10-11) Serrano Díaz, Jessica; Sánchez, Ana María; Maggi, Luana; Martinez Tomé, Magdalena; García Diz, Luis; Murcia, M. Antonia; Alonso Díaz-Marta, Gonzalo L.; Tecnología de Alimentos, Nutrición y Bromatología
    Large amounts of floral bio-residues (92.6 g per 100 g of flowers) are generated and wasted in the production of saffron (Crocus sativus) spice. Progress in mechanization of saffron crop offer the opportunity to expand the uses of C. sativus flowers, beyond the spice (dried stigmas). The antioxidant potential of flowers of saffron, their separate parts (tepals, stamens, styles, and stigmas) and floral bio-residues were evaluated by 4 in vitro assays: lipid peroxidation, deoxyribose assay, Rancimat test, and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity. Phenolic content and crocetin ester composition were also determined. All the samples studied showed to be potential antioxidants. The highest phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents were observed in tepals. Stamens showed lower phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents than those of whole flowers, tepals, and floral bio-residues. Crocetin esters were not found in tepals or stamens. Stamens exhibited the most potent LOO• and OH• radicals scavenging activity, being higher than those of food antioxidant propyl gallate. Flowers of saffron, tepals, stamens, styles, and floral bio-residues showed LOO•, OH•, and ABTS•− radicals scavenging activity, while stigmas showed LOO• and ABTS•− radicals scavenging activity. All samples studied improved the oxidative stability of sunflower oil in Rancimat test. These antioxidant properties could suggest the application of this floral material as functional ingredients with the subsequent added value.