Blog Archives - Païz Saffron

The quality of Païz Saffron

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 11:39:16 +0000

What should I pay attention to when buying saffron?

On this page we will list the answer for you and show you why Païz Saffron is the right place for attractively priced saffron of superior quality.

1 – Which Saffron type?

There are several saffron types that indicate which piece of the saffron thread you are actually buying.

The saffron comes from the flower Crocus Sativus. On each Crocus Sativus, four flowers with three threads are grown. For every gram of saffron more than 150 flowers are needed. Can you imagine that more than 150.000 flowers should be picked by hand for just 1 kilo saffron?

1. Sargol: this is the very top of the saffron thread. Sargol is of high quality thanks to the lack of yellow threads. Sargol is easily recognized by its full, deep red color and short threads. However, Sargol saffron often also contains crumbs and broken threads.

2. Super Negin: the most precious and rare form of saffron. Super Negin saffron is known not only as the most powerful, but also as the saffron with the most beautiful threads. Super Negin threads are longer in length and do not contain yellow threads. The threads are cut symmetrically and do not contain crumbs. When comparing all saffron types, Super Negin is for those who want the best.

3. Negin: compared to Sargol and Super Negin, Negin is longer in length and contains some yellow and orange parts as part of the threads. The aroma, quality and purity are still good, but you are paying for some parts of the yellow threads that have less quality.

4. Pushal: Pushal saffron is the cheapest and is mostly sold in shops and supermarkets. Since saffron is not the cheapest, many distributors take advantage of selling the yellow parts of the thread to increase their profit.

2 – Where does it come from?

Persian saffron (from Iran) is almost always of high quality, as long as it is bought from a trusted source. In addition, Iran’s climate, location, soil and the harvesting methods are perfect for saffron.

Our saffron is originally from the province of Khorasan (Iran), where the best quality saffron in the world is produced. The saffron is hand-picked and during picking, the low quality saffron is carefully removed, leaving only the ‘Super Negin’ quality.

3 – What is the quality of our saffron?

The quality of the saffron, in addition to the type of saffron, can be measured on the basis of three main factors: Crocin (color strength), Safranal (fragrance strength) and Picrocrocin (flavor strength). These values are then divided by the ISO into 3 quality groups: Grade 1 (highest quality), Grade 2 (medium quality), Grade 3 (least quality).

ISO 3632-2 uses the following values:

Crocin (color strength):

Grade 1 average	>190
International average	>230
Païz Saffron average	>255

Safranal (fragrance strength): 

Grade 1 average	>20-50
Internationale average	>20-50
Païz Saffron average	>40-50

Picrocrocine (flavor strength):

Grade 1 average	> 80
Internationale average	> 85
Païz Saffron average	> 90

Conclusion

Païz Saffron is the right supplier for attractively priced saffron of superior quality. Order your saffron now!

Go to the shop

The post The quality of Païz Saffron appeared first on Païz Saffron.

Our story

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 09:57:44 +0000

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, originating from Iran. We, with our Iranian / Persian roots, are proud and passionate about this! As Iranian Dutch we want to promote saffron in the Western world. We believe it is time to strategically introduce saffron to those unfamiliar with it. We believe in the words of the legendary Persian poet, Rumi: “Everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” Introducing saffron in a way that we can reach everyone, has been engraved on our hearts since childhood.

“Everyone has been made
for some particular work
and the desire for that work
has been put in every heart.”

We have always been impressed how Persian parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts were able to give an intense yellow color to rice or other dishes through a natural process – by mixing a few threads with hot boiled water. No pigment has been added to this! Knowing that the saffron threads are all manually picked and the high quality carefully removed from the lesser quality turned our interest in saffron into a belief. The belief that the value of saffron must be guaranteed in the Western world. There is a lot of fake saffron in circulation and low quality saffron is also sold. We knew we wanted to introduce the Super Negin saffron in order for this spice to have an optimal effect in the different cuisines. Besides the fact that the saffron can be used in the kitchen, it can also be used for health. Various studies have showed the benefits of saffron (see more about this under Health). To take advantage of these benefits, we want to provide our customers with the right saffron threads for this. We looked at the color strength, the aroma strength and the taste of the saffron that comes from the local farmers. Saffron, which has been used for its natural benefits for thousands of years, is truly a hidden gold. It’s time for this flower to bloom in the Western world!

It’s time for this flower
to bloom
in the Western world!

The goal of our brand is to let others experience the hospitality and warmth that we ourselves have been able to experience from childhood. Saffron is picked every year in the fall, the season when this beautiful spice is getting ready for use. That is why we have chosen to call our brand Païz, which means autumn in Persian language. We believe that anyone who uses this elegant product correctly will have a smile on their face! Do you already follow us on Instagram?

The post Our story appeared first on Païz Saffron.

The influence of saffron on your health

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 12:33:16 +0000

How does saffron affect my health?

Research has shown that saffron is good for your mood, memory and PMS. In addition, saffron serves as an antioxidant.

Mood-booster

Mood booster: Burnout, depression, stress [1]

The following has been concluded from research [2]:

Saffron is a strong antidepressant;
Saffron can cure mild depression and burnout;
Saffron strengthens our resistance to stress through our metabolism;
As an antidepressant, saffron is just as effective in mild / moderate depression and burnout as the drugs Fluoxetine and Imipramine;
The safranal in saffron is known for its sedative and anti-epileptic properties. This study also shows that safranal has a hypnotic effect during sleep;
Crocin in saffron accelerates sleep and strengthens sleep.

Do you suffer from a burnout, depression or stress? Traditional Persian medicine has already proven the use of saffron as a natural treatment for stress and depression. Several studies have shown that a minimum intake of 30 mg of saffron per day for at least 6 weeks can provide an even healthier alternative to antidepressants.

Various studies have shown that the substances crocin (color) and safranal (odor) of the saffron are important elements in this process. Safranal is known for its calming and anti-epileptic properties, thereby strengthening resistance to stress.

In order to achieve optimal effect, it is important that the saffron is of high quality. Païz Saffron offers Super Negin Saffron. Our saffron falls under category 1 / Grade 1 and is therefore saffron of the highest quality class.

More about this? Check out our page about quality.

[1] Freedom of health

[2] Fernández-Sánchez L, Lax P, Esquiva G, Martín-Nieto J, Pinilla I, Cuenca N., PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e43074. Epub 2012 Aug 10., University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain te raadplegen via Freedom of health

Studies:

Study 1 – Depression

40 adult outpatients were diagnosed during a study as having major depression according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. After 6 weeks, the saffron subjects showed significantly better results than the placebo subjects. No significant side effects were observed. The scientists then started looking at the effectiveness of saffron compared to antidepressant medications. That study found that 30 mg of saffron 3 times a day for 6 weeks had the same effect as Tofranil in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Only the group taking the Tofranil drugs was found to have side effects. That study concluded that saffron has a therapeutic benefit in the treatment of mild to moderate depression over Tofranil. [1]

Study 2 – Depression

40 adult outpatients diagnosed with depression were randomly assigned to either a group that received 30 mg saffron twice a day or the group that had to take a 20 mg Prozac capsule twice a day. After 6 weeks, the saffron was found to be as effective as Prozac for the treatment of mild to moderate depression. [2]

[1] Samarghandian S, Tavakkol Afshari J, Davoodi S. Suppression of pulmonary tumor promotion and induction of apoptosis by Crocus sativus L. extraction. Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2011 May;164(2):238-47.

[2] Samarghandian S, Boskabady MH, Davoodi S. Use of in vitro assays to assess the potential antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in human lung cancer cell line. Pharmacogn Mag. 2010 Oct;6(24):309-14.

PMS

The following has been concluded from research [1]:

Saffron helps with pre-menstrual syndrome;
The scent of saffron relieves menstrual problems, irregular periods and menstrual pain.

Do you suffer from PMS, period pain or irregular periods? Research has shown that just sniffing saffron is enough to stimulate hormonal changes in young women. Taking 30 mg per day can already show results after 3-4 menstrual cycles.

More about this? Check out our page about quality.

Studies:

Study 1 – PMS and menstrual problems

47 female students took part in a study where they were exposed to saffron for 20 minutes. Of these 47, 36 were randomly assigned to a saffron group and 11 assigned to a control group. The saffron solutions were diluted so that the odor of saffron could not be detected. Saliva samples submitted were tested for cortisol, testosterone and estrogen levels. It was shown that the cortisol level had gone down and the estrogen level was up. [2]

Study 2 – PMS and menstrual problems

50 women received 30 mg of saffron or placebo for 2 months. A daily symptom score was used to gain insight into the severity of the PMS symptoms. The use of 30 mg saffron showed significant improvements after 3 to 4 months. [3]

[1] Fernández-Sánchez L, Lax P, Esquiva G, Martín-Nieto J, Pinilla I, Cuenca N., PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e43074. Epub 2012 Aug 10., University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain te raadplegen via Freedom of health

[2] Freedom of health

[3] Agha-Hosseini M et al. Crocus sativus L. (saffron) in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: a double-blind, randomised and placebo-controlled trial. BJOG. 2008;115(4):515-9

Memory

Do you want to improve memory? Japanese research has shown that the substance Crocine contributes to improving memory and learning skills. neurodegenerative disorders and related memory disorders. [1]

Preclinical studies suggest that saffron counteracts (age-related) cognitive decline, limits brain damage and protects against (progression of) neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and Parkinson’s disease. [2]

More about this? Check out our page about quality.

[1] Researchgate(pagina 428) en NCBI

[2] https://www.orthokennis.nl/artikelen/saffraan-het-rode-goud

Strong antioxidant activity

Saffron has a strong antioxidant activity, neutralizes free radicals, promotes endogenous antioxidant enzyme production and protects against oxidative stress. [1]

[1] https://www.orthokennis.nl/artikelen/saffraan-het-rode-goud

Conclusion

Païz Saffron is the right supplier for attractively priced saffron of superior quality.

Go to the shop

The post The influence of saffron on your health appeared first on Païz Saffron.