10 research outputs found

    Sustainable processing of floral bio-residues of saffron (Crocus sativus l.) for valuable biorefinery products

    Get PDF
    Tepals constitute the most abundant bio-residues of saffron (Crocus sativus L.). As they are a natural source of polyphenols with antioxidant properties, they could be processed to generate valuable biorefinery products for applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries, becoming a new source of income while reducing bio-waste. Proper storage of by-products is important in biorefining and dehydration is widely used in the herb sector, especially for highly perishable harvested flowers. This study aimed to deepen the phytochemical composition of dried saffron tepals and to investigate whether this was influenced by the extraction technique. In particular, the conventional maceration was compared with the Ultrasound Assisted Extraction (UAE), using different solvents (water and three methanol concentrations, i.e., 20%, 50%, and 80%). Compared to the spice, the dried saffron tepals showed a lower content of total phenolics (average value 1127.94 ± 32.34 mg GAE 100 g−1 DW) and anthocyanins (up to 413.30 ± 137.16 mg G3G 100 g−1 DW), but a higher antioxidant activity, which was measured through the FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH assays. The HPLC-DAD analysis detected some phenolic compounds (i.e., ferulic acid, isoquercitrin, and quercitrin) not previously found in fresh saffron tepals. Vitamin C, already discovered in the spice, was interestingly detected also in dried tepals. Regarding the extraction technique, in most cases, UAE with safer solvents (i.e., water or low percentage of methanol) showed results of phenolic compounds and vitamin C similar to maceration, allowing an improvement in extractions by halving the time. Thus, this study demonstrated that saffron tepals can be dried maintaining their quality and that green extractions can be adopted to obtain high yields of valuable antioxidant phytochemicals, meeting the requirement for a sustainable biorefining

    Crocus sativus L. Cultivation in Alpine Environments: Stigmas and Tepals as Source of Bioactive Compounds

    Get PDF
    Saffron is a well-known spice, produced for a long time, mainly in the Mediterranean area. In the last few years, saffron has been seen as an alternative crop for the diversification of agricultural production and a new source of income, due to its high price, including in Alpine areas. Apart from the spice, constituted by the stigmas, saffron production provides a high amount of fresh tepals, which have so far been considered agricultural waste. Recently, studies on the composition of saffron tepals have been revealing their potential as a rich source of bioactive compounds. In this study, we evaluated the productive traits and the quality of the spice of saffron cultivated in open fields in the north western Italian Alps, for 2 years. In addition, in order to valorize the crop residues, we evaluated the bioactive compound content in tepals by using maceration and ultrasound assisted extraction with different rates of water and methanol as solvents. Higher yields in spice were obtained in the second year of cultivation. However, in both years, the spice had a high quality (ISO 3632), and a very high total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Thirteen bioactive compounds were identified, including flavonols, cinnamic acids, benzoic acids, catechins, and vitamin C, with few differences between sites and year of cultivation. In tepals, the extraction method and the solvent used influenced the evaluated parameters, i.e., total phenolics and total anthocyanins content, antioxidant activity, and the amount of the four phenolic compounds found (hyperoside, rutin, ellagic acid, and epicatechin). Overall, this study revealed that both saffron spice and its by-product, the fresh tepals, produced in the north western Italian Alps can be considered a source of bioactive compounds with nutraceutical properties, having an antioxidant capacity that is often similar or higher than those of some vegetables and fruits

    Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis modulates the apocarotenoid biosynthetic pathway in saffron

    Get PDF
    [EN] Crocus sativus L. (saffron) has been propagated for millennia to produce the precious spice saffron from the red stigmas. The inebriant organoleptic and bioactive properties mainly depend on the content of crocins (dyeing capacity), picrocrocin (flavor), and safranal (aroma), apocarotenoids deriving from zeaxanthin. In this study, an integrated biochemical and molecular analysis was carried out on fresh saffron stigmas to investigate the in-fluence exerted by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Rhizophagus intraradices on the production of the main saffron apocarotenoids responsible for the properties of the spice. Since mineral enrichment due to AM symbiosis has been related to changes in the secondary metabolism of plants, the mineral content of saffron corms at flowering was also analyzed. Rare arbuscules (AMF trade structures) were found in mycorrhized plants. However, the expression of D27, CCD7, and NCED involved in the synthesis of strigolactones (SLs) and abscisic acid (ABA), which promote AM symbiosis, did not change in the stigmas. The transcription of beta-LYC and CCD4a/ b was not affected by AMF, whereas that of CCD2, which encodes the key enzyme producing major apocar-otenoids, was upregulated. The crocin content was reduced in treated plants even if the expression of ALDH, UGT74AD1, and UGT91P3, involved in crocin synthesis, did not change. Conversely, UGT709G1, implicated in picrocrocin synthesis, was overexpressed in the inoculated plants, thus the safranal content was increased in the spice.This research was funded by the program Interreg V-A Francia Italia Alcotra (Grant No. 1139 "ANTEA - Attivita innovative per lo sviluppo della filiera transfrontaliera del fiore edule"; and grant no. 8336 "ANTES-Fiori eduli e piante aromatiche: attivita capitalizzazione dei progetti ANTEA ed ESSICA").Stelluti, S.; Grasso, G.; Nebauer, SG.; Alonso, GL.; Renau-Morata, B.; Caser, M.; Demasi, S.... (2024). Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis modulates the apocarotenoid biosynthetic pathway in saffron. Scientia Horticulturae. 323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2023.11244132
    corecore