Agriculture
Mozhgan Esmaeelian; Javad Feizy; Moslem Jahani; Soodabeh Einafshar
Abstract
In the present study, the conventional solvent extraction (CSE) was compared with ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and subcritical water extraction (SWE) methods for the extraction of bioactive constituents from Crocus sativus corms. The response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite ...
Read More
In the present study, the conventional solvent extraction (CSE) was compared with ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and subcritical water extraction (SWE) methods for the extraction of bioactive constituents from Crocus sativus corms. The response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite face-centred design (CCD) was used to optimize the extraction parameters. The optimum conditions of extraction were estimated to be ethanol 80%, 48˚C and 60 min in CSE, ethanol 80%, 37˚C, 45 min, and 37 kHz in the UAE, and 180˚C and 22 min in SWE. The subcritical water extraction showed the maximum extraction yield, and the highest value of total phenolic compounds (807.6 mg gallic acid equivalent in 100 g saffron corm) and total flavonoid (12.2 mg Quercetin equivalent in 100 g saffron corm) were determined in the SWE extract. The phenolic and flavonoid content of the SWE extract is 8 and 12 times higher than the other two methods, respectively. Also, CSE and SWE extracts showed the least and the most antioxidant activities, respectively. The antibacterial activity of the optimized extracts was evaluated by the microdilution method. The results showed the minimum bactericidal concentrations of 300 and 600 mg mL-1 against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria, respectively.
Economics and Marketing
Toktam Mohtashami
Abstract
Given the importance of saffron corms in improving crop yields, it is necessary to supply standard corms that meet the standards required to ensure high yields, especially in the early years of cultivation. Given that currently, there is no official market for this product (standard corm), this study ...
Read More
Given the importance of saffron corms in improving crop yields, it is necessary to supply standard corms that meet the standards required to ensure high yields, especially in the early years of cultivation. Given that currently, there is no official market for this product (standard corm), this study attempted to use the conditional valuation method to measure the maximum willingness to pay of saffron farmers for this non-marketed product, while investigate the factors affecting the selection of this type of corms. The study population consisted of 150 saffron growers in Torbat Heydariyeh and Zaveh area of Razavi Khorasan province. Using Multiple Logit Model to determine factors affecting the selection of one of the certified saffron corms (Type A, corm weighing 5-10 g and up to 60% flowering in the first year, Type B corm weighing 10-15 g and 80% flowering in the first year, Type C corms weighing 15-20 g and up to 90% flowering in the first year, Type D corms weighing more than 20 g and more than 90% flowering in the first year), it was found that increase in education, area, pre-crop treatment and having a lateral occupation significantly increases the probability of selecting corms type A. In contrast, increasing of age and onion weight decreases the likelihood of selection of these corms. Likewise, in selection of B and C corms, education, area of cultivation, lateral occupation, age and pre-cultivation treatment were found to be significant and effective. After estimating the parameters of the Multi Logit model, the expected mean value of willingness to pay (WTP) was set at 82500 Rials, which is higher than the current average price of corms available on the market indicating that saffron growers are willing to pay more for these certified corms.
Other subject about saffron
Bi bi Marzieh Razavizadeh; Abdollah Molafilabi; Ali Faezian; Noora Arabshahi Delooei
Abstract
The effect of sound waves on saffron corms in the controlled environment and aeroponic cultivation on the amount of flowering and production of saffron stigma are investigated in this study. Sound waves with a sound pressure level of 77 decibel for 15 minutes a day were induced into two groups of corms. ...
Read More
The effect of sound waves on saffron corms in the controlled environment and aeroponic cultivation on the amount of flowering and production of saffron stigma are investigated in this study. Sound waves with a sound pressure level of 77 decibel for 15 minutes a day were induced into two groups of corms. In the first group, the effects of sound waves with frequencies of 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz and also a type of classical music sound on saffron corms in different periods of flowering induction, flowering and the whole period (flowering formation) were studied. In the second group, this test was performed on bulbs only in the flowering period with single frequencies of 4, 8, 12 and 16 kHz. Also, the effect of sound application time in 15, 30 and 60 minutes per day at 16 kHz frequency on the corms was investigated. Statistical results showed that in the first group, induction of single frequency sound led to production of flowers and also saffron stigma amounts less than or equal to that of the control group. However, these differences were not significant except for the treatment on flowering period at 500 Hz (p < 0.05). The application of musical sound in different stages of corm growth reduced its flowering efficiency compared to the control group. Among the treatments of the second group, the mean values of number of flowers at 4 and 8 kHz frequencies were higher than that of the control group. In the treatment with a frequency of 4 kHz, which produced the highest amount of flowers and stigmas, the flowering efficiency of saffron corms increased more than 4.0%. Also, increasing the duration of sound application from 15 min to 30 and 60 min per day caused a significant increase in the number of flowers and the flowering efficiencies had increased by 6.0 and 10.4% compared to that of the control group during 30 and 60 min, respectively.
