Identifying the original saffron is one of the issues that we should be aware of while buying saffron. Recently, with the increase of fraud in the production and sale of saffron, the ways of identifying the original saffron have also been developed to be a tool in the hands of saffron consumers in order to increase their awareness and close the way of profiteering for saffron market traders.

In this article, we have described eight ways to identify the original saffron so that you can easily recognize the original saffron and enjoy your purchase. Also, the best way to buy original saffron is to buy it directly from the farm.

These days, you may have seen the video of using iron filings in saffron to make saffron heavier on social networks. Due to the increase in the price and value of saffron in Iran and the world, fraud in saffron has increased sharply.

By buying original saffron directly from the farm, you can be 100% sure that the purchased saffron is original and you can benefit from all its properties. Due to our field of work, we are constantly dealing with events such as Taghlib in saffron and similar works.

Ways to identify the original saffron

1- Tasting saffron

One of the ways to recognize the original saffron is to taste it, the original saffron has a bitter taste and should not taste anything other than sweet.

If it has a sweet taste, it must have been sprayed with sugary substances such as sugar water to increase its weight, so be sure to pay attention to this.

2- The ends of the saffron branches should be trumpet-shaped

If you check the saffron flower strands more closely, you will realize that the original saffron strands are trumpet-shaped, which is one of the most important things to recognize the original saffron.

3- Identifying saffron by its color

The original color of saffron is dark. We have seen a lot that when faced with the dark color of saffron, people think that saffron is old or not high quality, but this is not the case at all, and we must note that the original color of saffron is dark and not light.

If the saffron has a color other than dark crimson or an unusual color compared to the original saffron, it is clear that it is not a saffron plant but can be replaced by a saffron plant.

4- adulteration of saffron with safflower plant

The saffron plant is one of the plants that is heavily used in adulterating saffron, and it is a very important point for a person who does not have any information in this field and must fully understand the differences between it and saffron.

Profiteers dye saffron and mix it with saffron to increase its weight. This plant does not have the flavor of the original saffron and also has a different structure from the original saffron, so you can distinguish it well with a little care.

5- Original and fresh saffron has a spicy aroma

Does fresh saffron smell spicy?

In answer, it should be said that yes, freshly picked saffron has a very pungent smell, and as soon as the door is opened, the interior of the room is filled with its aroma, of course, saffron that has been picked for several years has a very weak smell. and cannot easily perfume the space.

6- Speed ​​of saffron coloring

Original and first grade saffron has a very low coloring speed and this factor is one of the important factors in distinguishing original saffron. If you infuse the saffron after buying it and you notice that the saffron has turned color in a few seconds, you should know that your saffron is fake.

Original saffron needs about 30 minutes for coloring, and if it brews for less than this, for example, 5 minutes, it can be a sign of fake saffron. They may have added color to increase the color of saffron so that its weight is heavier and it has more color.

7- Increasing the weight of saffron

If you have not bought your saffron from a safe place, you should expect that the weight of the purchased saffron may have been increased.

The saffron strands are impregnated with the things I mentioned below and they increase the weight of saffron by a few percent.

• honey
• Salt
• Spray soda

8- Saffron is not greasy

One of the ways to distinguish saffron is the fat content of saffron strands. For this test, it is enough to put saffron threads between straw paper or newspaper. If you see oil and fat on the paper, it is fake saffron, but if it is powdered, it is original saffron.

What is the main method of identifying the original saffron?

If despite all the ways we have mentioned, you still think it is difficult to recognize the original saffron, we have another solution for you, despite which you can be 100% sure of the originality of the saffron you buy.

The main way to identify saffron is to buy it directly from the farm. When you buy saffron from the farm and directly from the farmer, you are actually connected to the main source of saffron production and sale, and there will be no middleman in between who wants to change and fake saffron.