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HomePosts Tagged "saffron"
Allied Industry, Company News, Funding, R&D

Funding will support Ayana Bio’s research examining the neuroprotective benefits of saffron for Huntington’s disease and other neurological and age-related diseases

Ayana Bio, the plant cell technology company dedicated to creating sustainable bioactives for consumer products, has received a grant from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support Ayana Bio’s research into the production of saffron’s neuroprotective bioactives through plant cell cultivation.  

Clinical studies demonstrate saffron’s beneficial effects across a range of neurological and age-related diseases, such as depression, anxiety and Alzheimer’s disease. Saffron’s neurological effects are also proven to aid in weight loss by increasing satiety, making it a powerful health ingredient with interconnected benefits.

The $300 thousand NIH grant will fund Ayana Bio’s research to identify which complex of saffron bioactives can consistently demonstrate the highest neuroprotective benefits, specifically for Huntington’s disease. The company will use its high-throughput synthetic biology capabilities of sequencing, multi-omics technology, and analytical chemistry to explore and select the best plant cell lines. The research will also address how plant cell cultivation can enhance the production of saffron’s bioactive by running a pre-clinical study on a C. elegans model of Huntington’s disease. Identifying a standardized complex of bioactives that can be produced consistently will allow researchers to study saffron’s health benefits more effectively for a range of diseases.

Plant cell cultivation is a means to create plant materials without growing plants in the ground. Saffron cells will be grown in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks that create a reliable source of real saffron – and its beneficial bioactive complex – bypassing the quality issues that come from the constraints of conventional agriculture. Traditional saffron production requires up to 170,000 flowers to produce just one kilo of saffron, making it a prohibitively expensive health and wellness ingredient. Challenges associated with growing saffron are amplified by the worsening effects of climate change, which drive crop failures in the already constrained supply chain.

Funding will support Ayana Bio's research examining the neuroprotective

AgroPolicy, Floriculture, Sustainability

Kishtwar saffron comes from the scenic Kishtwar region, nestled in the mountainous landscapes of Jammu, and is referred to locally as ‘Kung’ and nationally as ‘Kesar.’

Kashmir’s Kishtwar saffron has recently been awarded a GI tag for its exceptional quality. Saffron is considered one of the most expensive spices in the world, with hand-collected strands from crocus flowers costing lakhs per kilogram. Kashmir produces some of the most expensive and highest-quality saffron, and Kishtwar Saffron, from the Kishtwar Region of Jammu and Kashmir, has recently been awarded the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry according to the local news.

A GI tag is an indication of quality that acts as a mark of intellectual property and confirms that the product originates from a specific geographical region and has unique and valuable characteristics due to its place of origin. Kishtwar saffron comes from the scenic Kishtwar region, nestled in the mountainous landscapes of Jammu, and is referred to locally as ‘Kung’ and nationally as ‘Kesar.’ This spice holds pivotal economic importance in this secluded district, with Mandal, the saffron production area, encompassing around 120 hectares of cultivable land, establishing Kishtwar as a significant hub for saffron cultivation.

Kishtwar saffron has not only won the GI tag but also a Grade 1 quality rating. To achieve this rating, 1150 grams of saffron flowers harvested from Berwar underwent a thorough physical and chemical analysis at the India International Kashmir Saffron Trading Centre (IIKSTC) in Dussu Pampore. As a result of this process, 110 grams of fresh saffron filaments and 20 grams of top-tier dry Lacha saffron were extracted and subsequently designated as Grade 1.

Kishtwar saffron comes from the scenic Kishtwar

Floriculture, Horticulture, India, Nature

A huge demand for saffron from all around the world since it gets the geographical indication (GI) tag

Saffron production in Jammu and Kashmir has increased by 30 per cent this year due to adequate rains just before the flowering season, which raised production and prevented crop yields from declining. Kashmir has more than 3700 hectares of land under saffron cultivation and the Pampore in Pulwama is the main hub for growing saffron. However, the spice is now being cultivated across different districts of Kashmir valley as well.

According to the Jammu and Kashmir Saffron Growers Association, this year, the rate of Lacha quality saffron is around Rs 185 per gram while Morga quality saffron is Rs 240 per gram at Kashmir’s Park Pampore. The saffron farmers in the valley earlier were very much disappointed due to low rates in the market. But since the Kashmir Saffron Park came into existence and has decided rates on a high note, the farmers started taking more interest in the cultivation of saffron.

Huge demand for saffron from all over the world since it gets the geographical indication (GI) tag a sign used on products which have a specific geographical origin. Last season, the saffron production exceeded 15 metric tones after a gap of more than 25 years. The year-on-year increases in production are expected to revitalize the industry because growers have been forced to switch to other crops or stop growing the pricey crop due to diminishing yields and land under cover.
Since 1996, production has been falling, with the Valley experiencing the lowest yield of 1.5 MTs in 2011-2012. Experts were warning that due to declining production, this valuable crop would become extinct.

A huge demand for saffron from all