Persian Negin Saffron (Iran Safran)
Negin Saffron
Negin Saffron is one of the types of saffron that only contains the red part or stigmas of saffron and has no yellow or root part. This type of saffron has a high coloring and fragrance and taste and is used in exports and preparing luxury foods. It is divided into four main categories: grade 1, grade 2, semi-Negin, and super Negin.
Classification of Negin saffron
The four categories of saffron Negin are based on the degree of branching, thickness, length, and curl of the red stigmas of saffron. These four categories are grade 1, grade 2, semi-Negin, and super Negin.
- Grade 1: They have separated stigmas, no branching, completely red and thick.
- Grade 2: This type has separated stigmas, and no branching, but may be fine and coarse.
- Semi-Negin is saffron Negin that has separated stigmas, but has some yellow along with red and may have branching and fine and coarse.
- Super Negin is a type that has separated stigmas, no branching, completely red, and is very thick and long. This type is the most expensive type and then grade 1, grade 2 and semi-Negin are in the next ranks.
Reasons to buy Negin Saffron
Some of the benefits of buying this type are:
- High quality: It is the best and most expensive type of saffron and is usually used for saffron exports and has a high coloring power.
- Beautiful appearance: This type has an attractive and distinctive appearance due to having large, wide, uniform, and unbranched stigmas.
- Use in luxury foods: They have a high fragrance and taste and are used in preparing and decorating luxury foods.
Production
The highest production of Negin in Iran takes place in Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, and North Khorasan provinces. Mashhad, Qaen, Birjand, Torbat Heydarieh, Torbat Jam, Sabzevar, Ferdows, Gonabad, Sarakhs, and Tabas are among the most important areas of saffron production in Iran. Of course, the cultivation is also done in some other provinces such as Kerman, Yazd, Isfahan, Fars, and Qazvin, but in smaller quantities.
Saffron Harvesting
Saffron Negin, like other types of saffron, is harvested in autumn when the purple flowers appear in the field. The time of harvesting saffron depends on the climatic conditions of the region and usually lasts from early November to early December. Harvesting saffron is better to be done before sunrise and while the flowers are still semi-open. Because with exposure to sunlight, the crocin present in the stigmas of safran decreases and affects the quality of saffron.
For harvesting the Negin, one can use manual or mechanical methods. The manual method involves hiring workers to pick saffron flowers and separate the red stigmas from other parts of the flower. The mechanical method involves using flower picking and saffron cleaning machines that operate with higher speed and accuracy than the manual method. In both methods, it should be noted that the time interval between picking the flower and separating the stigma should not be long and also the picked flowers should be placed in wicker baskets or porous cotton bags.
Export
Saffron Negin is exported from Iran to many countries in the world. The main export destinations of Iranian saffron Negin are United Arab Emirates, Spain, India, China, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Sweden, Germany, France, England, and America. Saffron Negin exports are done in bulk or packaged with different weights.
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