Science topic
Crocus - Science topic
A plant genus, in the IRIDACEAE family, known as a source of Saffron.
Questions related to Crocus
How can one preserve saffron that is harvested in the field. Because we can only measure it after a few days in the laboratory
I have two unique teleost species, Saffron Cod and Broad Whitefish. I am analyzing the HSP70 concentrations in the cranial, hepatic, and muscle tissues. The Broad Whitefish samples all worked perfectly. However, the liver and muscle tissue samples for the Saffron Cod aren’t running (the cranial tissue samples are working perfectly). The HSP70 protein seems to be aggregating and sitting on top of the well.
My advisor and I believe perhaps the cod have a higher concentration of fats and thus aren’t separating like the other samples. All of the tissue samples were prepared the same way using a homogenization buffer with 4% SDS and Tris-HCl. The tissue samples were homogenized in the buffer, boiled for 5 minutes and spun down at max RPM for 15 minutes before extracting the supernatant with the protein sample. The protein samples are placed in 2xSB and boiled for 3 minutes before being loaded in 10% gel. All of the solutions, both cod and whitefish, are clear and fluid when at room temperature (none are gelatinous or are behaving weirdly). I have attached images of the gel and Western Blot with four Broad Whitefish samples (BDWF) and four Saffron Cod samples (SFCD). Muscle tissue is MT, hepatic tissue is HT, and cranial tissue is CT. The Western Blot for the Saffron Cod muscle sample didn’t show up for some reason, but when I ran it the other day it looked exactly like the liver tissue; the band was sitting at the very top of the well. Thank you for any and all help!
How is the quality and quantity of the main active ingredients of Crocus sativus stigma determined?
Has an alkaloid compound been detected in the Crocus sativus plant?
The most convenient way to detect crocin in saffron?
I've read the new press release and I wondered how you started researching saffron?
Who is the affron® owner?
1. Preferable solvent would be water but any other procedures are also welcomed.
2. Preferable estimation would be biochemical or any other method.
I am investigating on mitral valve by Movat pentachrome staining, but the results were unsatisfied. Blue (for mucin) and yellow (for collagen) was absent.
Q1: I found at least four companies sold mechanical kits online, including Solarbio (a Chinese company, from which i bought the kit), Abcam, Morphisto (inaccessible protocol) and Newcomer supply. However, protocols varies from company to company. So, which one should I choose? OR, is there any better protocol?
Q2: Solarbio's protocol was instructed as :
1. Routinely deparaffinizing sections with xylene and hydrate through a series of ethanol.
2. Bouin solution, room temperature, overnight.
3. Rinse with running water for 10min.
4. Hyposulfite solution for 5min, and rinse with distilled water for 2 ~ 3 times.
5. Alcian blue for 20min and washed under running water for 2 ~ 5min.
6. Preheated (45~60℃) alkaline alcohol solution for 10 min.
7. Rinse with running water for 2 to 5 minutes.
8. Prepare Weigert hematoxylin stain solution: Solution A: B: C=3:2:1, unknown component.
9. Weigert hematoxylin stain solution for 60min, in the dark place.
10. Rinse with running water and distilled water 2 to 3 times, 3 to 5 minutes each time.
11. Saffron-fuchsia stain solution (prepared by A: B=4:1, unknown component) for 1 min, in the dark place.
12. Rinse with distilled water 2 to 3 times, 3 to 5 minutes each time.
13. Phosphotungstic acid solution for 5min and transferred directly into the weak acid differentiation solution for 5min.
14. Rinse with distilled water 2 to 3 times, 3 to 5 minutes each time.
15. Saffron stain for 5min.
After Step 9, the sections background was stained dark and hard to wash out with distilled water, causing the following staining procedures failed. If I wash it with hydrochloric acid ethanol , the background was clear, yet sections were eventually stained without blue and yellow, but merely red or intense red. So, should I use hydrochloric acid ethanol or just use distilled water with a longer time?
I'm doing an investigation about the effect of biostimulants to saffron corms.
I need to compare my results to those of other researches in different environments.
Thanks for helping.
dr. Angela Ronchi
Student - Udine Unversity
how do I do acid hydrolysis on crocus sativus extracts to get flavanol glycosides?
I have encountered problems to calculate the concentration of Crocin in the natural saffron sample. Briefly, crocin is extracted from the samples (0.1 g to10 ml (0.80% MeOH), Shake in dark for an hour, Centrifuges(4000 rpm/15 min) and determined via the standard HPLC method. In each case, the sample peak area is compared with the standard (SIGMA 17304-1G), but the results show a total percentage of crocin higher than 100.
The taxonomy of the genus Crocus is extremely complicated due to the lack of clear distinctive characters, the wide range of habitats and the heterogeneity of the morphological traits and cytological data.
Moreover they show that there are several problems at the infraspecific level. Genetic dissimilarities between the known subspecies revealed that most of the subspecies must be ranked as species.
Can anyone suggest a method to break saffron dormancy in order to increase the harvest of saffron flowers and consequently stigmas several times a year?
Thanks
Saffron is used as a food colouring agent. It is obtained from floral parts (style and stigma) of the Crocus sativus. In Malaysian shopping malls, the cost of 0.5 gram (500 mg) Saffron is RM 27 (US$~ 6.4). Online stores may be offering better price. However, in general, the price of Saffron is too high (on weight basis). There are several health benefits of the Saffron, if we consume it. We should make it more affordable for the benefits of the people. By using modern agricultural and biotechnology tools; what will be the best way to increase the Saffron production drastically?
