Madrid-headquartered Pharmactive Biotech Products – maker of affron, the clean-label saffron extract – says that its new proprietary natural extraction process sets a “gold standard” in green technology.
Called AFF ON Cool-Tech, and developed and patented by Pharmactive´s team of saffron extraction experts, the process is gentle on the saffron plant – one of nature’s most fragile – safeguarding the potent actives in the saffron essence.
Eco-friendly
“AFF ON Cool-Tech does not use harmful solvents, synthetics or additives of any kind,” explains Jorge Rodriguez, head of roduction at Pharmactive, about the eco-friendly technique. “It generates very low waste and considerably reduces the impact on the environment, minimizing the carbon footprint. The AFF ON Cool-Tech process requires less industrial processing than other saffron extractors, lowering the energy consumed – and all in fewer steps.”
AFF ON Cool-Tech produces the highest concentration of saffron-sourced Lepticrosalides actives currently on the market, as tested and shown by HPLC-DAD (high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector), says the company.
“Pharmactive is the first saffron actives supplier that can scientifically demonstrate how its products deliver outstanding beneficial/valuable properties at among the lowest recommended doses in the market (just 28 mg/day),” says Julia Diaz, Pharmactive’s marketing manager. “This is a powerful indicator of AFF ON Cool-Tech’s effectiveness.”
Trusted saffron source
Saffron is among the most expensive botanicals in the world – literally worth more than its weight in gold – which makes counterfeiting common. Pharmactive cultivates saffron in its own fields in the exceptional Spanish Castilla-La Mancha region, where Crocus sativus L. has been grown and nurtured for centuries.
Pharmactive collaborates with select saffron farmers, whose craft has been part of their cultural heritage for centuries. Their seasoned knowledge of saffron and how to optimally produce and harvest it – all without chemical fertilizers – is key to affron’s quality. The art of saffron harvesting requires manual picking of choice stigmas during a brief daily window of time.
Food-to-fork processing, including local extraction, efficient transport and strategic storage, gives Pharmactive complete control and traceability of the supply chain to retain peak freshness and product authenticity.