Saffron (Crocus sativus): Production and Processing
Saffron is a precious spice which is mainly grown in Iran, India, Spain, Greece, Italy, Pakistan, Morocco, and central Asian countries. Until recently, saffron was perceived only for its value as a spice. However, with recent research findings pointing to the medicinal properties of saffron such as its antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic and antioxidant effects, interest in this plant has increased. The book presents a comprehensive account of saffron which includes the historical background, acerage underproduction, yield and applications, botanical ecophysiology, production technology, irrigation, pests, diseases and weeds, genetics, sterility, reproduction and production of secondary metabolites by in vitro method, economic aspects, indigenous knowledge in saffron production, processing, chemical composition and quality control, and research strategies.
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Academic; difficult to extract advice,
This book is a collection and digest of many academic papers on or about the saffron crocus. There is a lot of verbage to wade through if you’re looking specifically for recommendations on how to grow saffron, maximize yields, or treat diseases. There is little or no advice in these pages, only observations of grower practices in various regions (Iran, Spain, Italy) with no explaination of why different growers choose different techniques.
Some of the information seems to be contradictory or self-serving. For example, the author/editors focus on information gathered from Iranian crops because more saffron is planted in Iran than anywhere else in the world. However, crop yields in Iran are among the worst in the world; it seems odd to look for “best practices” among the worst performers.
In another example, a chart on page 145 shows price (in Iranian Rials) per kilogram of Iranian saffron from 1973 through 200. The figures indicate that the price per kilogram has increased 102 times the 1973 baseline figures. 100x in 30 years! However, these figures have not been adjusted for global or local inflation. The text notes that the Iranian rial has suffered substantial inflation, and that the actual price of saffron when measured by other metrics has not increased significantly since 1973. So basically, the chart showing a 100x price increase is worthless.
There is worthwhile information in this book, but you have to dig for it and you weigh it carefully for regional bias. The useable / actionable information I extracted from this 240+ page book can be summarized on two pages.
Overall, this book feels like it was compiled for a specific purpose: to make a case for the Iranian government to better support its own agricultural assets in saffron. Iran is the world leader in saffron production, but much smaller producers such as Spain control the world saffron market and reap the largest share of the profits.
This is the most comprehensive book on saffron crocus that I’ve seen, but it leaves much to be desired. A new book written for the reader interested in growing saffron would immediately topple this book.
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|Posted on June 21st, 2011 at 9:49 pm
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