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
Saffron is present as 28% of the Daily Value, while other micronutrients have negligible content (table). One limited meta-analysis concluded that saffron supplementation improved symptoms in people with major depressive disorders. Another review of preliminary human research indicated that it may have effects on mild to moderate depression. The documented history of saffron cultivation spans more than three millennia. The wild precursor of domesticated saffron crocus is probably "Crocus cartwrightianus". If "C. sativus" is a mutant form of "C. cartwrightianus", then it may have emerged by human cultivators selectively breeding specimens for unusually long stigmas in late Bronze Age Crete. It