Abstract

Saffron a member of Iridaceae family is a perennial spice species. It is derived from the stigma of the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus L.), which is collected and dried to produce the spice. The main compounds that accumulated throughout stigma development in C. sativus L.  were crocetin, its glucoside derivatives and picrocrocin, all of which increased as stigmas reached a fully developed stage. The volatile composition of C. sativus stigmas changed notably as stigmas developed with each developmental stage being characterized by a different volatile combination. In red stigmas, b-cyclocitral, the 7,8 cleavage product of b-carotene, was highly produced, suggesting the implication of both b-carotene and zeaxanthin in crocetin formation breeding of saffron (C. sativus L.), its position, urgency and topicality of the problem are considered in the present review. Clonal selection is proposed for genetic improvement of saffron in order to increase yield production and quality.

Key words: Saffron, clonal selection, variability.