Production Practices and Quality Assessment of Food Crops. Vol. 1

242 S. A. Ordoudi and M. Z. Tsimidou
In any case, the producers should avoid drying the stigmas on the floor or under
direct exposure to light (Figure 15).
Since 1989, we made many efforts to study the practices of Greek growers in
Kozani area. In 2000 within the frame of a Leader project we elaborated a Manual
for the Good Manufacturing Practice for Greek saffron based on scientific evidence
and a considerable amount of data collected from the experience of growers who
also act as processors. Saffron drying depends heavily on the temperature and the
relative humidity of the drying room. Therefore, when a large quantity of fresh
stigmas is dried in a small room or when the fresh stigmas is left to dry in the
open air the drying period is longer than that observed under strictly controlled
conditions. Late October and early November are rather humid periods of the year
and the long hours required for drying can be dramatically shortened and the procedure
standardised if the processors follow our suggestions. This modernisation can
take place without any interference with the ownership rights of the growers; it
only depends on their free will to adopt the instructions. Towards this direction,
the last five years, the Co-operative of Greek Saffron Growers organised many
seminars to familiarise its members with the properties of their product. In the
following table there is a characteristic example from the drying conditions followed
by two groups of Greek growers. The first group dried the production in their own
way whereas the second group followed (partially) our suggestions to keep room
temperature below 45 °C and relative humidity 45–50%. The 17 growers were
volunteers and they let us make our observations and measurements for the benefit
of the Co-operative.
Drying is the critical step of saffron processing. However, just after this preliminary
processing saffron is not ready for the market. Two or three further
treatments to remove flower waste and extraneous matter are usually needed. This
procedure may last for one to two months (in winter) and it usually takes place within
the houses of the producers. In Table 9, a characteristic example of the quality status
of saffron samples just after drying indicates the importance of further cleaning.
Indeed samples from the same producers after the third cleaning gave products
ranked in the extra category (floral waste