Crocin: Functional characteristics, extraction, food applications and efficacy against brain related disorders

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1009807

Review

. 2022 Dec 13:9:1009807.

doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1009807. eCollection 2022.

Crocin: Functional characteristics, extraction, food applications and efficacy against brain related disorders

Affiliations

¹ Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
² Department of Research and Development Office, Hunan First Normal University, Changsha, China.
³ Department of Food Science, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁴ National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁵ Food Research Department, Centre for Innovative Process Engineering, Syke, Germany.
⁶ Department of Home Economics, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁷ Food and Nutrition Society, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan.
⁸ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Food Manufacturing, Foshan University, Foshan, China.
⁹ School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.

PMID: 36583211
PMCID: PMC9792498
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1009807

Review

Crocin: Functional characteristics, extraction, food applications and efficacy against brain related disorders

Anwar Ali et al. Front Nutr. 2022.

. 2022 Dec 13:9:1009807.

doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1009807. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
² Department of Research and Development Office, Hunan First Normal University, Changsha, China.
³ Department of Food Science, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁴ National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁵ Food Research Department, Centre for Innovative Process Engineering, Syke, Germany.
⁶ Department of Home Economics, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁷ Food and Nutrition Society, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan.
⁸ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Food Manufacturing, Foshan University, Foshan, China.
⁹ School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.

PMID: 36583211
PMCID: PMC9792498
DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1009807

Abstract

Crocin is a bioactive compound that naturally occurs in some medicinal plants, especially saffron and gardenia fruit. Different conventional and novel methods are used for its extraction. Due to some control conditions, recent methods such as ultrasonic extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, enzyme-associated extraction, microwave extraction, and pulsed electric field extraction are widely used because these methods give more yield and efficiency. Crocin is incorporated into different food products to make functional foods. However, it can also aid in the stability of food products. Due to its ability to protect against brain diseases, the demand for crocin has been rising in the pharmaceutical industry. It also contain antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antidepressant qualities. This review aims to describe crocin and its role in developing functional food, extraction, and bioavailability in various brain-related diseases. The results of the literature strongly support the importance of crocin against various diseases and its use in making different functional foods.

Keywords: brain disorders; crocin; extraction techniques; food applications; medicinal.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Chemical structure of crocin, dicarboxylic acid (crocetin), monoterpen aldehyde (safranal) and glycoside (picrocrocin).

**Figure 2**
Biological activity of crocin in different brain related disorders, where the red circle shows the inhibitory property of crocin and blue circle shows the activation.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

1. Pan Y, Zhao X, Wang Y, Tan J, Chen D-X. Metabolomics integrated with transcriptomics reveals the distribution of iridoid and crocin metabolic flux in Gardenia jasminoides Ellis. PLoS ONE. (2021) 16:e0256802. 10.1371/journal.pone.0256802 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Martí M, Diretto G, Aragonés V, Frusciante S, Ahrazem O, Gómez-Gómez L, et al. . Efficient production of saffron crocins and picrocrocin in Nicotiana benthamiana using a virus-driven system. Metab Eng. (2020) 61:238–50. 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.06.009 - DOI - PubMed
1. Cerdá-Bernad D, Valero-Cases E, Pastor J-J, Frutos MJ. Saffron bioactives crocin, crocetin and safranal: Effect on oxidative stress and mechanisms of action. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. (2022) 62:3232–49. 10.1080/10408398.2020.1864279 - DOI - PubMed
1. Moratalla-López N, Bagur MJ, Lorenzo C, Martínez-Navarro M, Salinas MR, Alonso GL. Bioactivity and bioavailability of the major metabolites of crocus sativus L. Flower Molecules. (2019) 24:2827. 10.3390/molecules24152827 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Dhiman N, Kharkwal H. Biosynthesis and Derivatization of the Major Phytoconstituents of Saffron. Saffron: Elsevier; (2020). p. 83–92.

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[1] Pan Y, Zhao X, Wang Y, Tan J, Chen D-X. Metabolomics integrated with transcriptomics reveals the distribution of iridoid and crocin metabolic flux in Gardenia jasminoides Ellis. PLoS ONE. (2021) 16:e0256802. 10.1371/journal.pone.0256802 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[2] Pan Y, Zhao X, Wang Y, Tan J, Chen D-X. Metabolomics integrated with transcriptomics reveals the distribution of iridoid and crocin metabolic flux in Gardenia jasminoides Ellis. PLoS ONE. (2021) 16:e0256802. 10.1371/journal.pone.0256802 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[3] Martí M, Diretto G, Aragonés V, Frusciante S, Ahrazem O, Gómez-Gómez L, et al. . Efficient production of saffron crocins and picrocrocin in Nicotiana benthamiana using a virus-driven system. Metab Eng. (2020) 61:238–50. 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.06.009 - DOI - PubMed

[4] Martí M, Diretto G, Aragonés V, Frusciante S, Ahrazem O, Gómez-Gómez L, et al. . Efficient production of saffron crocins and picrocrocin in Nicotiana benthamiana using a virus-driven system. Metab Eng. (2020) 61:238–50. 10.1016/j.ymben.2020.06.009 - DOI - PubMed

[5] Cerdá-Bernad D, Valero-Cases E, Pastor J-J, Frutos MJ. Saffron bioactives crocin, crocetin and safranal: Effect on oxidative stress and mechanisms of action. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. (2022) 62:3232–49. 10.1080/10408398.2020.1864279 - DOI - PubMed

[6] Cerdá-Bernad D, Valero-Cases E, Pastor J-J, Frutos MJ. Saffron bioactives crocin, crocetin and safranal: Effect on oxidative stress and mechanisms of action. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. (2022) 62:3232–49. 10.1080/10408398.2020.1864279 - DOI - PubMed

[7] Moratalla-López N, Bagur MJ, Lorenzo C, Martínez-Navarro M, Salinas MR, Alonso GL. Bioactivity and bioavailability of the major metabolites of crocus sativus L. Flower Molecules. (2019) 24:2827. 10.3390/molecules24152827 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[8] Moratalla-López N, Bagur MJ, Lorenzo C, Martínez-Navarro M, Salinas MR, Alonso GL. Bioactivity and bioavailability of the major metabolites of crocus sativus L. Flower Molecules. (2019) 24:2827. 10.3390/molecules24152827 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[9] Dhiman N, Kharkwal H. Biosynthesis and Derivatization of the Major Phytoconstituents of Saffron. Saffron: Elsevier; (2020). p. 83–92.

[10] Dhiman N, Kharkwal H. Biosynthesis and Derivatization of the Major Phytoconstituents of Saffron. Saffron: Elsevier; (2020). p. 83–92.

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Crocin: Functional characteristics, extraction, food applications and efficacy against brain related disorders

Affiliations

Crocin: Functional characteristics, extraction, food applications and efficacy against brain related disorders

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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