This post series on botanical ingredient adulteration is inspired by the excellent work coming out of the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP) by the American Botanical Council (ABC), continuing today with:
➡️ Saffron, which is the dried stigma of Crocus sativus, prized as a culinary spice for its distinctive aroma, flavor, and golden-yellow coloring. It is used in foods and also has a history of medicinal use. Saffron and saffron extracts are also now marketed for mood, emotional well-being, relaxation, and sleep support.
On the market, saffron is available as whole or cut dried threads, ground spice powder, and preparations for teas or culinary infusions. Dietary supplements may contain concentrated saffron extracts in capsules, sold either as single-ingredient products or in formulas targeting mood and sleep. These extracts may be standardized to compounds such as crocins or safranal, or to a defined combination of saffron constituents. Whole powdered saffron and standardized extracts are distinct preparations, and commercial extracts can differ substantially in concentration, composition, and serving size.
For companies, confirming identity is not optional; it’s a legal and ethical duty under cGMPs to verify that each incoming botanical is the right species, the right plant part, and meets agreed quality specs. Brands and manufacturers should be leaning on resources like the BAPP adulteration bulletins and implementing fit-for-purpose analytical methods, rather than relying on nonspecific tests that can miss plant-part adulteration.
Adulteration, in the regulatory sense, means a product is unsafe or of inferior quality because it fails to meet legal standards for purity, strength, or composition (including contamination).
Economic adulteration is emphasized in these posts: intentional substitution, dilution, or undeclared additions that misrepresent a botanical’s true identity or quality compared to what the label and consumer would reasonably expect. Accidental adulteration is also present in some species.
For more detailed information on adulterants in botanicals, see the BAPP publications, which are freely available on their website. To view this post, go to it on LinkedIn: