Gas chromatography of safranal as preferable method for the commercial grading of saffron (Crocus sativus L.)

We present a new extraction protocol, using ethyl alcohol as a solvent, to evaluate safranal by gas chromatography (GC). A linear response was obtained with R2 = 0.995 and a reproducibility standard deviation of 4.7–6.0%. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation were 0.05 and 0.25 g kg−1, respectively. The GC data for several samples of powdered saffron from different origins were compared to specific absorbance values measured according to the ISO Normative 3632-1:2011 method. The aroma strength of saffron samples quantitated by GC and the specific absorbance values of safranal by the UV method did not correlate. Quantitative evaluation of safranal by GC appears to be more specific and useful for commercial comparisons of saffron quality.