Saffron - with the scientific name of Saffron, Crocus, Sativus, Linnaeus - comes from the family iridaceae of Iridaceous: a plant with the height of 10-30CM. It is several years old, has no stem, and has a glandular and spherical shaped bulb.

With diameter of 3-5cm, the fragrant flower has one to four pieces in each bundle. It has 3 sepals and 6 petals. Its color is violet. It has also 3 stamens. Petals' color is violet. Sometimes purple petals' number varies between 5 and 11. Each saffron flower has a long red stigma which becomes three branch at the end. The aromatic, eatable and commercial part of saffron is the Stigma.

Recognizing and inspecting of addable colors to Saffron is preformed with the style of T.L.C which is one of the most important chemical experiments on Saffron.
Microbical tests to prevent pollution and reliance of products are done during the process of production, packing and also afterwards.
The raw fiber is measured with the scanner and photometry machines in wave length of 257 nm 330 nm and 440 nm: these analyses control Picrocrocin (the agent of bitterness of Saffron flavor), Safranal (agent of Aroma) and Crocin (agent of color).
In addition to above tests, which are necessary to certify the saffron standards, Continental Company tests all its saffron for Heavy Metals and pesticides before exportation.

There are varieties of chemical components present in the stigma of the saffron plant. These chemical components include carbohydrates, minerals, mucilage, vitamins (especially riboflavin and thiamine), color pigments such as crocin, anthocyanin, carotene, lycopene, Zeaxanthin, an aromatic terpenic essence called "safranal" and flavoring substances such as picrocrocin.

It is the stigma of the plant which is the main part of commercial saffron. Its unique color, flavor and aroma stem from a set of chemical components; some of which have so far been identified.

Crocin (C44 H64 O24) is the most influential chemical element in the coloring power of saffron. It is a rare carotenoid found in nature which can easily dissolve in water. In comparison to other carotenoids, crocin has a wider application as a colorant in food and medicine, mainly because of its high solubility. This substance was first discovered by Solomon and Carrar in crystal form. These scientist have done a number a researches on the structure of crocin and identified it as follows: besides crocin, saffron is also made up of free aglycone crocin and a small number of anthocyanin pigments. The oil soluble color pigments include lycopene, alpha carotene, beta carotene and Zeaxanthin. The main parameter in deciding the quality of saffron is its coloring potential which can be measured by the quantity of its colorant components with a spectrophotometer at the wave length of 443 nanometers.

A glucose known as Picrocrocin (C16 H26 O7) is the major factor for the bitter taste of saffron. This bitter substance can undergo crystallization, through acid hydrolysis, producing safranal (a glucose and aldehyde).

Saffron has a strong scent which is due to the presence of volatile oils and certain essences. Safranal is the main aromatic substance which makes up sixty percent of the structure of volatile components of saffron.

In fresh saffron, it exists as a non-volatile picrocrocin which is broken down in two volatile aldehydes of free safranal with heat and time. Safranal is a viscous volatile liquid which produces a bright yellow spot when exposed to steam and it can easily be dissolved in ethanal, methanol, ether and petroleum.

In order to extract ether oils from saffron, it is added to distilled water and then exposed to carbon dioxide to be distilled. The vapor is further extracted by using ether; the ether is then evaporated. The obtained oil is a yellow liquid which possesses strong aroma of saffron. This substance belongs to terpenes and reacts strongly to oxidation and thus it should be kept under controlled conditions.

Saffron is considered to have a great number of medical properties. Today, based on growing and effective applications of saffron in medical fields and in alternative medicine, it has attracted the attention of many researchers. Saffron may substitute chemical medicines.

Some medical properties of saffron are as follows:

• - helps digestion, strengthens the stomach and is anti-tympanites
• - activates the sexual desire
• - is analgesic, especially for colicky pains gingivitis fights tumors and collection of free radicals thus reacting against cancerous cells
• - is euphoriant and alleviates neuralgia, is a tranquilizer, cures insomnia, strengthens memory power, improve concentration, reacts against spasm, fights depression, the Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
• - cures respiratory disorders such as asthma, cough, influenza and cold
• - controls blood pressure disorders, lowers high cholesterol levels, cures iron deficiency (anemia) in girls, reduces chances of such heart diseases as arteriosclerosis, helps improve heart conditions (due to the presence of thiamin, riboflavin and mineral components)
• - helps blood circulation in the retina, cures macula lutea and retinopathy ischemic caused by old age
• - cures rheumatism and bruises when used externally
• - cures amebic dysentery, the measles, inflammation of the liver, splenomegaly and urogenital infections.