Saffron agents. It must, therefore, be stored away in air-tight containers to minimise contact with atmospheric oxygen. Saffron is somewhat more resistant to heat. Saffron is not all of the same quality and strength. Strength is related to several factors including the amount of style picked along with the red stigma. Age of the saffron is also a factor. More style included means the saffron is less strong gram for gram, because the colour and flavour are concentrated in the red stigmas. Saffron from Iran, Spain and Kashmir is classified into various grades according to the relative amounts of red stigma
History of saffron the family Iridaceae, native to Greece and Crete. "C. cartwrightianus" is the presumed wild progenitor of the domesticated triploid "Crocus sativus" – the saffron crocus. Saffron is the triploid form of a species found in Eastern Greece, "Crocus cartwrightianus"; it probably appeared first in Crete. An origin in Western or Central Asia, although often suspected, has been disproved by botanical research. Saffron played a significant role in the Greco-Roman pre-classical period bracketed by the 8th century BC and the 3rd century AD. The first known image of saffron in pre-Greek culture is much older and stems from the Bronze Age.