Is saffron a specialty of Chongming, Shanghai?
Shouldn't saffron be produced from?
I believe you are also with many Shanghai netizens.
The same is questioned.
In fact. There are two major misconceptions here.
First, the origin of saffron is not **. Saffron originated from Iran in the Middle East, and was named "saffron" when it was introduced to the Central Plains during the Han and Jin dynasties.
Second, Chongming has the largest saffron planting area in the country, and saffron can indeed be said to be a specialty of Chongming.
This is to trace the history of saffron cultivation in Chongming.
In the 80s of the last century, China introduced a number of saffron bulbs from Japan and planting technology according to local conditions, and Shanghai Chongming, Jiading, Hubei, Henan and other regions began to try planting.
Among them, Chongming has gradually developed into the largest saffron planting base in China due to the conditions of good air permeability and water repermeability of sandy soil, suitable climatic conditions and high saffron reproduction coefficient.
Even before the 90s of the last century, only Shanghai had saffron bulbs in the country, and the outflow was strictly controlled. At that time, Chongming produced saffron can be described as "one big family", and there is also a saying that "the output accounts for 90% of domestic saffron".
With the development of the market economy, saffron bulbs have also begun to flow into the market as a commodity, and the planting technology is becoming more and more mature in other regions, and Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan and other places have been successfully planted.
However, even in today's highly competitive saffron market, Chongming saffron still has a very unique competitive advantage, that is, it is higher quality and more suitable for medicinal use.
The quality of saffron mainly depends on the content of saffron glycoside (GaN), a medicinal ingredient. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia standard is that the sum of saffronin- and saffronin- content shall not be less than 10%, and the content of saffronin shall not be less than 5%. Professional measurement data show that the content of saffron produced in Chongming can reach 35%, while the content of saffron produced in Iran is about 20%. Therefore, the market price of Chongming saffron is generally 50 yuan a gram, which is relatively high, almost twice that of imported saffron.
The active ingredient of saffron is saffron glycoside, which is also the pigment in saffron, so in appearance, the darker the saffron red, the higher the content of saffron and the better the quality.
At present, Chongming grows saffron in an area of about 1,000 acres, with an annual output of 600-700 kilograms of filament. According to the relevant person in charge of the group, the saffron produced in Chongming can account for about 80% of the group's output every year, and the saffron produced by the group eventually flows to hospitals or pharmaceutical factories.
Outstanding quality and long-term accumulation in product application hand in hand with Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group have also allowed saffron to "cross borders" in the beauty industry. A few years ago, Shanghai Pharmaceutical Company also developed 3 saffron**, and the 1 million tablets** produced in the first year were sold out, and the market response was enthusiastic. At the Flower Expo opened in Chongming in 2021, Chongming's high-quality saffron was also launched in the form of flower tea, sunscreen and other products.
Therefore, Chongming saffron is not only a real specialty of Shanghai, but also a hidden king who wins by quality!
Liberation**·Shangguan News original manuscripts, not allowed without permission**.
Information**: Youzai Chongming, Shanghai Chongming, Science Xiansen***
Author: He Shuyao, Cao Jun, Di Fei.
WeChat editor: Tynie Jia Simin.
Proofreading: CP