VATIS UPDATE Article

Researchers from Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Islamic Republic of Iran, have produced saffron powder with high nutritional value through the nanotechnology of microencapsulation of saffron extract with edible compounds. “Producing multiple nanoemulsions comprised of water and oil is a good method for enclosing hydrophilic food and medicinal compounds,” said project director Afshin Faridi Esfanjani.

“This method, which is the main process for producing nanocapsules, has been evaluated to produce saffron powder with an aim to protect saffron’s useful properties and increase its nutritional value,” Esfanjani added. The lack of appropriate packaging and processing of saffron in Iran has lead to a number of problems, including the loss of effective compounds in saffron due to adverse environmental conditions such as light and heating process.

Also, the quick release of saffron’s effective compounds in the environmental conditions of the stomach causes the added value and medicinal properties of the saffron extract to decrease. “By nano microencapsulation of saffron’s effective compounds with multi-layered walls, all these problems are solved and the absorption of these compounds will also increase,” said Esfanjani. According to Esfanjani, the results of the research can be used in producing pills and capsules containing encapsulated and effective saffron compounds for the pharmaceutical sector.