| 摘要 |
This method can be used to isolate the main pigments present in saffron : crocins which are responsible for the colour, and the substance responsible for its bitter taste, picrocrocin. The substances isolated can be used in the food industry as colouring and flavouring agents or as flavour precursors, in the pharmaceutical industry as antitumoural agents, a source of vitamin A, blood conditioning agent, etc., in the textile industry for the preparation of natural dyes, in perfumery and cosmetics and in the paint industry. The starting material is the dried sieved stigmas of saffron and an extract is prepared in a ratio of 1/8 with water in the dark, the aqueous phase being separated from this, a process which can be repeated until all the colour is extracted. The aqueous phase is extracted with ethyl ether until no more colour is extracted and it is then passed through a chromatography column filled with C- 18 solid phase which retains the substances in which we are interested. The column is subjected to successive elution with acetonitrile/water in the proportions of 10%, 15%, 20% and 80%. Elution with the 15% proportion elutes the picrocrocin fraction and the 80% proportion elutes the crocins. Freeze drying of each of these fractions yields a white-yellowish solid and another of a red colour corresponding to picrocrocin and crocins respectively. |
