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

Saffron Quality 243
Table 8. Drying process of saffron stigmas in Kozani, Greece (Tsimidou, unpublished data).
No. DRYING CONDITIONS
Room dimensions/type of trays and tray load/means of heating/temperature, relative moisture
and total time of drying
First group of growers
1 4.0 × 6.0 × 3.0 m/0.8 × 1.0 m, fine-mesh sieve, 300–400 g/charcoal stove, 18–20 °C, ≅4 h
2 3.5 × 0.6 × 3.0 m/shelf coated with paper/firewood stove, ≅50 °C, 18 h
3 40 m2/1.0 × 0.7 m, plastic fine-mesh sieve coated with paper, 300 g/no stove, 12 h
4 3.0 × 4.4 × 2.0 m/0.7 × 0.8 m, fine-mesh sieve/charcoal stove, 25–30 °C, ≅12 h
5 25 × 2.5 × 2.1 m/1.0 × 0.6 m, 250 g/charcoal stove, ≅40 °C, 12 h
6 2.5 × 3.0 × 2.1 m/0.7 × 1.1 m, fine mesh sieve, 250–300 g/frame/charcoal stove, ≅40 °C,
5–6 h
7 3.0 × 2.5 × 3.0 m/1.1 × 0.6 m and 1.0 × 1.0 m with a fine mesh sieve coated with cloth,
300 g/frame/charcoal stove, 25–30 °C, 14 h
8 60 m 2 /1.0 × 0.5 m, 200–250 g/charcoal stove, 20 °C, 24 h
9 3.0 × 2.5 × 2.1 m/1.0 × 0.5 m, fine mesh sieve coated bottom with plastic, 250 g/charcoal
stove, 40 °C, 12 h
Second group of growers
1 4.0 × 4.0 × 2.5 m/1.0 × 0.7 m, fine mesh shieve, 250 g/charcoal sieve, ≅50 °C, 40–45%, 3 h
2 4.0 × 6.0 × 2.0 m/0.7 × 1.4 m, thick paper, 250 g/frame/charcoal stove, ≅50 °C, 35%, 3 h
3 4.0 × 4.0 × 2.5 m/1.0 × 0.7 m, coated bottom with plastic fine mesh shieve, 250 g/charcoal
stove, ≅50 °C, 45%, 90 min
4 2.5 × 2.5 × 2.8 m/0.4 × 0.5 m silk-fabric bottom and 0.70.5 m fine mesh shieve, 125 g/charcoal
stove, ≅50 °C, 40%, 2:30 h for frames with a shieve at bottom, 3 h for silk ones
5 3.0 × 2.5 × 1.6 m/1.8 × 0.7 m, plastic shieve and coated with paper, 250 g/charcoal stove,
≅50 °C, 50%, 1 h
6 1.9 × 3.4 × 2.2 m/1.0 × 0.8 m, plastic shieve and coated with paper, 250 g/charcoal stove,
50 °C, 40%, 4 h
7 4.0 × 2.5 m × 2.6 m/1.0 × 0.7 m, plastic fine mesh shieve, 250 g/charcoal stove/50 °C,
50%, 1 h
8 4.0 × 2.5 × 2.6 m/1.0 × 0.7 m, plastic shieve, 250 g/charcoal stove/50 °C, 40%, 1 h
Table 9. Percent floral waste and extraneous matter of saffron samples just after drying (Kozani, Greece)
(after Cuko, 1997).
No. Floral Extraneous No. Floral Extraneous
waste (%) matter (%) waste (%) matter (%)
1 10.38 0.92 10 06.54 0.96
2 07.86 0.74 11 21.02 0.48
3 23.28 1.12 12 02.63 0.37
4 00.00 0.00 13 45.19 1.91
5 06.74 1.56 14 18.35 1.05
6 23.20 2.30 15 38.12 0.68
7 18.00 0.50 16 19.51 0.49
8 06.83 0.67 17 03.87 0.23
9 39.91 0.89 18 04.66 0.74