It’s worth noting that no one individual will eat an ounce of saffron all at once. Recipes recommend taking half of a teaspoon of saffron at one time. However, let’s take a look at an ounce of saffron, as it’s a good way of finding out the nutritional aspects of this amazing spice. For starters, the manganese content alone is almost 400% more than the value recommended on a daily basis.
Saffron also contains great quantities of magnesium – 18%, vitamin C – 38%, iron – 17%, vitamin B6 and Potassium both at 14% of the value recommended on a daily basis, which is quite impressive.
Manganese helps the body in regulating the blood sugar, absorb calcium and metabolize carbohydrates. It also assists in the formation of bones, tissues and sex hormones. Iron cleanses the blood; Vitamin C fights of infections; and the vitamin B6 content of saffron assists in the formation of red blood cells, which makes for effective functioning of the nerves. Potassium on its own assists in balancing the fluids contained in the cells of the body, which can result to painful muscle clamp when low.
Besides the above nutritional contents of saffron, it also contains up to 150 volatile compounds. For example, it contains Picrocin, which is the substance responsible for the strong taste. Safranal is another compound, and it gives saffron its unique fragrance and odor. Crocin, another of the compound, provides saffron with its the orange color, which is a sign of the medicinal qualities of this spice.
Nutritional Facts of Saffron
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