Saffron's quality is defined by three compounds, and an ISO 3632 certificate reports all three. Crocin gives colour, picrocrocin gives taste, and safranal gives aroma.
Reading the three numbers
Crocin is reported as an E1% colour strength — Category I saffron sits at ≥ 250. Safranal and picrocrocin are reported alongside it. Together they place a lot into a grade, and the grade is what you should buy against.
| Compound | Sensory role | Category I threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Crocin | Colour strength | ≥ 250 (E1%) |
| Safranal | Aroma | 20–50 (absorbance) |
| Picrocrocin | Bitter/savoury taste | ≥ 70 (E1%) |
Why Mongra matters
Mongra is all-red stigma with the yellow style removed. Because the colour and aroma compounds concentrate in the red stigma, Mongra grades higher and more consistently than whole-thread saffron.
