The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has signed an agreement (LOA) with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (mother) to strengthen ways to control quality, determine reliability and improve market trust for Iranian Safron, one of the country’s most valuable exports.
The LOA activities will be carried out under the FAO’s Joint Technical Cooperation Program and the Ministry of Agriculture Jahad.
Iran produces more than 90% of the world’s saffron, making the integrity of its value chain important for farmers and national trade. Known as “red gold,” the spice is not only important for farmers’ livelihoods, but also represents Iran’s agricultural heritage.
Global trade in saffron faces sustainable risks, from adultery to inconsistent post-harvest handling that could invade value and undermine consumer confidence.
“To address these issues, FAO is working with moms to intensify their procedures: how to test, process and sell saffron.”
At the heart of the work is a scientifically validated fingerprinting approach using high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance, which characterizes the three key components of saffron supported in robust data analysis: crocin, picrocrocin, and safranal.
This provides a more accurate chemical profile for reliability checks than just the everyday methods. Complementing the lab’s work, this initiative develops practical guidance that helps maintain colour, flavor and aroma after harvest so that the lab’s measured quality is maintained by the end consumer.
Equally important, within this LOA framework, mothers train farmers, traders and laboratory specialists in the major saffron production states of Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan and South Khorasan. This training will help everyone involved in the saffron value chain to deepen their understanding that better practices should be applied, meet international requirements and provide reliable products to buyers around the world.
International trade generally refers to ISO 3632/3632-1 to score saffron, but these basic tests do not always capture subtle quality differences or prevent sophisticated adultery, and provide limited guidance on post-harvest handling.
By promoting high quality and stronger protection measures, improved practices and advanced quality control protocols can help reduce fraud, build consumer trust and increase transparency in the saffron market. This creates better opportunities and returns for farmers and traders, while enhancing Iran’s reputation as a global source of authentic saffron.
This work forms part of the broader efforts of FAO, ensuring Iran improves food reliability, strengthens agricultural value chains, and ensures that local food is competitive in international markets and complies with international quality and safety requirements.
MNA/