Moisture absorption ability of several hydrophilic compounds in saffron processing and comparison with conventional drying methods

The aim was to investigate the effective of the moisture absorbent material in drying saffron and determine its quality indicators (color, aroma and taste) in comparison with two common methods of drying saffron. In this research, 4 materials, silica gel, zeolite, clay and bentonite were used to absorb moisture from saffron. The amounts of picrocrocin, safranal and crocin of saffron dried by this method were compared with two other methods of drying, i.e. Spanish and traditional methods. The results showed that silica gel was chosen among moisture absorbent materials. Silica gel dried saffron in the shortest time (29 minutes). It was also possible to recharge it. The quality of saffron aroma in the method of using moisture absorbent material (46.7) was similar to the traditional drying method and higher than the Spanish method. The quality of color (185.7) and taste (7.86) of saffron in the method of using moisture absorbent was after the Spanish method and the traditional method, respectively. At the time of saffron harvesting, despite the large volume of saffron that must be dried in a short time, there is a need for auxiliary drying methods. The use of moisture absorbent materials in the process of drying saffron can significantly help in drying high quality saffron.