affron®eye, a natural extract of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) with colorant properties as novel replacer of saffron stigmas in culinary and food applications

In this work two different cold desserts were prepared, employing saffron stigmas or affron®eye to study the improvement of their sensory properties and final presentation. The cold recipe prepared with affron®eye showed significantly better taste (F = 6.1, p < 0.05) and acceptability by the consumers (F = 7.5, p < 0.05), compared to the recipe with saffron stigmas. The new affron®eye extract contributed to this improvement because it is easier and much more precise for dosage control, more safety (free of microorganisms), homogenizes sensory attributes, and therefore the consumer´s acceptability.