Proof, explained
Every vial carries a number. Here is where it comes from.
Lot code, harvest month, grower, and a crocin figure from an accredited laboratory. This page explains the test behind that figure, what a good reading looks like, how to read the full report, and the things a lab report does not prove.
The current lot, as published
Lot KT25A
Mongra (stigma only), Lethpora, Pampore
Harvested 24 October 2025 – 8 November 2025 · 1640 m · 420 g dried
Ghulam Nabi Bhat · grower
Lab report · pending
This lot is with a NABL-accredited laboratory for ISO 3632 testing. The crocin, picrocrocin and safranal readings, the report number and the PDF will appear here as soon as they are issued, and the same numbers go on every vial's label.
What ISO 3632 measures
Three readings, one spectrophotometer, no opinions.
A sample is ground, dissolved in water and read at three wavelengths. Each one corresponds to the compound that makes saffron what it is. This lot’s readings appear here as soon as the laboratory issues them.
Colouring strength
crocin · 440 nm
Report pending
230–280 for good Pampore Mongra
How much colour the saffron gives. The best single indicator of stigma-only, fresh, well-dried saffron.
Bitterness
picrocrocin · 257 nm
Report pending
80–100 typical
The taste compound. High picrocrocin means fresh saffron that was dried promptly after picking.
Aroma
safranal · 330 nm
Report pending
30s and 40s typical
The perfume. Safranal forms during drying and fades with age, so this reading drops first in old saffron.
The standard also caps moisture (damp saffron clumps and moulds), floral waste (bits of style, stamen and petal) and extraneous matter. Category I: moisture ≤ 12 %, floral waste ≤ 0.5 %, extraneous matter ≤ 0.1 %. Figures are absorbance units on a dry basis, from ISO 3632-1.
How to read our report
Five things to check, in order.
Enter the lot code on the verify page to see the report as a PDF. When a new lot is at the lab, its page says so rather than showing an older lot’s numbers.
- 01
Lot code
The code on the report must match the code on your vial. Ours look like KT25A: year of harvest and a letter per lot.
- 02
Laboratory and ULR
We use NABL-accredited laboratories. The ULR is the lab’s own unique report number and can be checked with the lab.
- 03
Report date
Within a few weeks of the harvest date. Saffron is tested after drying and before packing.
- 04
The three ISO values
Crocin, picrocrocin and safranal, plus moisture and floral waste, against the thresholds above.
- 05
Artificial colourants
A screen for synthetic dyes such as tartrazine and sunset yellow. Our specification is “not detected”.
What we do not claim
A number is only honest if you know what it is not.
Origin
A lab report measures quality, not geography. Origin comes from buying at the field, the grower’s name and the Kashmir Saffron GI, all of which we also publish.
What GI No. 635 protectsOrganic
Pampore saffron is grown with little or no agrochemical input, but we only print what a certificate backs. We hold none yet.
Health
Crocin and safranal numbers describe colour, taste and aroma; they are not evidence of health effects.
What the research saysAverages
Values vary lot to lot. We print each lot’s own figures rather than a brand-wide “typical” number.
See every lotAt home
Three kitchen checks that catch most fakes.
A lab is the only way to get a number, but these take a glass of warm water and fifteen minutes. The full set is in how to spot fake saffron.
Water
Real saffron releases a slow, clear yellow into warm water over 15 minutes while the threads stay red. Dyed safflower stains the water orange in seconds.
Smell
Honey and hay. No smell means old; a sharp chemical note means dyed.
Taste
Slightly bitter, never sweet. Sugar-coated threads are a known trick to add weight.
Questions about testing
Asked by chefs, buyers and the occasional chemist.
Our grades guide maps Mongra, Lacha, Negin and Coupe onto the ISO categories.
What does ISO 3632 Category I mean?
ISO 3632 is the international standard for saffron. It grades dried saffron by three measurements made with a spectrophotometer: colouring strength (crocin, read at 440 nm), bitterness (picrocrocin, 257 nm) and aroma (safranal, 330 nm), plus moisture and floral waste. Category I is the top grade and requires colouring strength of at least 200. Category II needs 170 and Category III 120.
What is a good crocin number for Kashmiri saffron?
Anything above 200 is Category I. Published analyses and trade reports for Kashmiri Mongra typically fall between about 230 and 280, with exceptional lots higher. A number in that range tells you the saffron is stigma-only, fresh and properly dried. We print each lot’s number on the vial.
Why test every lot instead of once a year?
Because saffron varies by field, by harvest week and by how it was dried, and because it fades. A report from a different batch, or from last year, says nothing about the vial in your hand. One report per lot, with the lot code on both the report and the label, is the only version of lab testing that actually protects the buyer.
What is a NABL lab and a ULR number?
NABL is India’s National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. An accredited lab’s reports carry a ULR, a unique report number that can be checked against the lab’s records, so a PDF cannot simply be edited. We use NABL-accredited labs and publish the ULR with each report.
Does a lab report prove the saffron is Kashmiri?
Not on its own. ISO 3632 measures quality, not geography; excellent Iranian saffron also tests Category I. Origin is established by the chain of custody: buying at the field, the grower’s name, the harvest date, and the Kashmir Saffron Geographical Indication (GI No. 635). We publish all of these alongside the report.
Can you test for artificial colour?
Yes. The report includes a screen for synthetic dyes such as tartrazine and sunset yellow, which are the usual way low-grade or fake saffron is made to look stronger. Our specification is “not detected”.