One of the main factors in the quality of saffron is the way it is dried. How to dry it is very important.
No matter what size you have saffron, whether you are a farmer or you planted it in your small garden, it is better to know the best way to dry saffron.
Components of saffron
Saffron flower consists of petals (purple color), anthers (yellow color) and stigmas (red color).
Generally, the stigmas are dried, but sometimes the petals can also be dried.
Methods of drying saffron
- fresh air
- exposed to the sun
- on the stove
- Homemade saffron drying machine (Spanish method)
- Electric oven
- Iron method
fresh air
The first and most important point in drying saffron is to remove the stigma from the petals immediately after collecting the saffrons. Because saffron spoils quickly and removing the stigmas as soon as possible has a great impact on the quality of saffron.
To dry saffron in the open air, you must first separate the stigmas from the petals. For this, take the end of the petal and separate all 3 stigmas together. Then put the separated stigmas on a clean cloth. And put it in a room that is free from pollution and dust.
Note: It is not necessary to spread the stains on the fabric. This will spread the pollen.
Another method is that you can put the stigmas you removed on a sieve and put a clean cloth on it and place it in a dust-free room.
Advantages of the open air method
- Suitable for high volume
- Maintaining the quality of saffron
- Simple and easy method
Disadvantages of open air method
- Saffron color change
- Long drying time
Exposed to sunlight
Put the stigmas on a clean cloth or sieve and expose them to the sun. In this method, it takes about 8 to 12 days for the saffron stigmas to dry.
Advantages of sunlight method
- Maintaining the quality of saffron
- Suitable for high volume
- Simple and easy method
Disadvantages of sunlight method
- Saffron color change
- Long drying time
- Not suitable for low volume
on the stove
Naturally, this method is very suitable for winter. Like the previous methods, put the stain on a clean cloth or sheet and let them dry on the heater.
You can refer to the article for information on export packaging to "Guide to packing saffron for export".
Advantages of Bukhari method
- Maintaining the quality of saffron
- Easy and accessible method
Disadvantages of Bukhari method
- Long drying time
- Suitable for low volume
Homemade saffron drying machine (Spanish method)
You can make this device at home. If you put a shelf in front of the heater, the temperature of the heater should be 65 degrees Celsius. Then put a tray, mesh or fireproof paper between the shelves and place the stigmas on it.
Turn on a ceiling fan and leave it on low for ventilation. After the stigmas have been in front of the heater for about 15 to 20 minutes, transfer them to another net and place them again between the rack and the front of the heater. Repeat this movement 3 times until the stains are completely dry.
Note: If your saffron volume is not large, you can dry it on the stove.
Advantages of the home dryer method
- Short drying time
- Relatively low cost
- Maintaining the quality of saffron
Disadvantages of the home dryer method
- Saffron color change
- High workload
Electric oven
Drying saffron with an electric oven is such that the stigmas are placed in this device at a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees Celsius with a thickness of 2 cm and it takes about 30 to 40 minutes to dry.
Advantages of the electric oven method
- Fast drying time
- Maintaining the quality of saffron
- Suitable for high volume
Disadvantages of the electric oven method
- Possibility of unavailability of electric oven
Iron method
In this method, saffron is placed between two metal trays and some pressure is applied so that the stigmas dry flat and uniform.
Advantages of the ironing method
- low cost
- Low workload
- Stigma drying evenly
Disadvantages of the ironing method
- Not being able to control the amount of humidity
- Long drying time
- Changing the tone of saffron
- Damage to saffron
final word
As we said at the beginning of the article, the method of drying saffron has an important effect on its quality, so special attention should be paid to this point so that we can have quality saffron.
You can choose any of the above methods according to the amount of saffron you have. And when you have harvested the saffron flowers, be sure to dry the stigmas as soon as possible.
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