Assessment of Common Methods and Innovative Systems for Detecting Adulteration in Saffron(Crocus sativus L.)

Saffron is being considered as one of the most expensive spice in the world because of the direct labor required for growing, harvesting and handling as well as its limited production. Due to its high price and limited quality assurance, detection of adulterated saffron is vital to the food industry. Nowadays, a wide range of instruments and analytical methodologies have been already developed to establish not only the quantity and quality of the primary ingredients but also the kind of adulterations in saffron. Apart from conventional techniques, biomimetics-based techniques including Electronic nose and Electronic tongue have shown dependable candidates for saffron quality assurance. This paper provides reviewing the principles of these methodologies and some of the more recent applications for saffron quality characterization.