Natural color extracted from saffron petals waste

Researchers at Iran’s Institute of Food Science and Technology have extracted a natural color from saffron petals waste — the purple petals left over after the red saffron threads are harvested — for use in foods and some medicines.

Saffron petals: a discarded byproduct of the harvest

According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), the research team explained that saffron crocus is grown across roughly 70,000 hectares in Iran’s Khorasan provinces. After the flowers are separated, the petals — which contain valuable anthocyanin pigment — are usually thrown away. At present, more than 20,000 tons of these petals are buried as waste.

Anthocyanins are a subgroup of flavonoids responsible for the red, purple, and blue colors in many flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Anthocyanins have been studied in preliminary laboratory research for possible health-related properties, particularly antioxidant activity. These are early-stage research findings, not established medical treatments — anthocyanins from saffron petals are not a substitute for medical care for cancer, inflammatory conditions, or any other disease.

From petal waste to natural food coloring

In the research project, the team studied saffron petal samples to determine the amount and type of anthocyanins they contain, and to identify how the pigment can be extracted and how stable its color remains under different environmental conditions.

The results showed that this source can yield significant quantities of natural color, which can be extracted for use in food and some medicines.

Natural colors extracted from purple saffron petals have been examined in early, preliminary laboratory research for antioxidant activity. Some such research has also looked at possible cardiovascular effects, but this work is at an early stage, and saffron petal extracts should not be considered a treatment or prevention for narrowed arteries or any other cardiovascular condition — anyone with a cardiovascular condition should rely on their doctor’s guidance, not on saffron products.

The natural color from saffron petals can be produced as both a powder and a liquid. It can be used in a variety of desserts, ice cream, and drinks, and it can replace synthetic red dyes, which can have harmful side effects.

According to the institute, the color has been prepared at both laboratory and industrial scale and has now reached the commercialization stage.