Iranian saffron, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Hussein Rastegar said the color of the saffron from outside the country, and especially from Saudi Arabia, came from the Hajjis, with colors called tartarazine (An unauthorized food color) that they bring as saffron colors instead of saffron or as saffron extract.
He emphasized the carcinogenicity of this substance, adding: Sometimes people bring these materials as souvenirs to the country or use it in food, because the price of this substance is much lower than usual saffron and has the color and shape of saffron. Not only does this material have none of the properties of saffron, it is a very serious carcinogen. The color of tartarazine is a completely carcinogenic substance and its use is by no means advisable.
“If it comes as a souvenir, then,” said Rasteg, addressed to the hijack coming from Saudi Arabia, “this is not a souvenir, it is a poison and should not be used.”
Saffron powder that is not saffron!
The director general of the Food and Drug Control Laboratory referred to the sale of low-cost saffron powder, which is sometimes sold by sellers in the subway, saying, “This is also a kind of fraud, because there is a lot of fraud in saffron. For example, the corn stale is painted, then powdered and sold as saffron powder. People should know that these materials are not saffron at all. Saffron should be brand-fully, and there’s the logo of the food and medicine organization and the health certificate number, so if we have a complaint from the product, we can follow it.
Rastegar also said that the smell of saffron contained in these powders is of the essence added to it. This is also one of the fraud that takes place. Essence is a substance that adds it to various materials like tea. It should be said that sometimes these essential oils are not edible and therefore one of the fraud is the use of essential oils and this discussion should be considered. Saffron that is purchased must be packaged and brand approved.
source: shafaf /ir
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