Study of the influence of geographical origin and environment conditions on the three secondary metabolites of Moroccan saffron by UV-visible spectrometry

Each region produces saffron of a particular quality depending on the cultivar, the qualities of the soil, altitude, weather conditions, sunshine intensity and the conditions of production, packaging and storage. To study some of these parameters, four cultivars of saffron ('Sidi Hssaine', 'Agadir Melloul', 'Zegmouzen' and 'Askaouen') were grown in two experimental zones (Tallakht and FSA) with a disparity of altitudes, soils and climates. UV-visible spectrometry was used to quantify the principal metabolites of these cultivars. The analysis shows that crocins are unstable under the specific environment tested for the four cultivars. Analysis of origins and environmental impact on saffron quality showed that the altitude and the cultivar affect the chemical composition. Acccording to our results, saffron cultivated in the FSA resulted in significantly greater crocin, safranl and picrocrocin contents compared to Tallakht. Likewise, the effect of cultivar was also significant: 'Sidi Hssaine' and 'Agadir Melloul' showed higher values of crocin, safranal and picrocrocin compared to the others. For this, we had selected 'Sidi Hssaine' and 'Agadir Melloul' as the best cultivars.