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“Category I saffron, ISO 3632.”
That line on a certificate of analysis is doing less work than most buyers think.
Here is what it certifies. A lab dissolved dried stigmas in water at 1%, ran the solution through a spectrophotometer, and recorded three absorbance readings. Color, from crocin at 440 nm, must read 190 or above. Bitterness, from picrocrocin at 257 nm, must read 70 or above. Aroma, from safranal at 330 nm, must fall between 20 and 50.
Three numbers. One instrument. One sample measured on the day the lab ran the test. That is what Category I means.
Here is what it does not certify.
Not origin. Category I says nothing about where the saffron was grown. Iran produces over 90% of the world crop, and much of it is repackaged and re-certified elsewhere. The standard grades compounds, not geography.
Not actual aroma. Crocin isomers absorb at 330 nm too, so the safranal reading picks up color compounds along with aroma compounds. HPLC comparisons have found samples scoring 42 on the ISO aroma scale that held only 0.17 mg/g of actual safranal.
Not purity. ISO 3632 was designed to grade saffron, not to catch adulterants. Tartrazine and safflower also contribute color to a dissolved sample.
Not shelf life. Coloring strength drops by more than half in 12 weeks at 40°C. Category I at the packing house can test as Category II by the time it reaches your dock.
The certificate is a snapshot, not a guarantee. Ask for the test date and the lab name, not just the category. And check the edition cited: ISO 3632-1:2011 was withdrawn on July 7, 2025 and replaced by ISO 3632-1:2025, which adds a new Extra Class grade above Category I. So Category I is no longer the top grade. Many certificates in circulation still reference the old version.
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