Safron du Gatinais, alcoholic

Saffron du Gatinais is a high quality saffron obtained from the pistil threads of the Crocus sativus plant. It comes from the Gatinais region of France and is known for its excellent quality and intense colors.

In histology, alcoholic saffron du Gatinais is sometimes used as a dye for collagen fibers. When combined with other stains, as in the Movat pentachrome stain, saffron du Gatinais allows differentiated visualization of various tissue components. In this stain, saffron du Gatinais is used to show collagen fibers in yellow.

To prepare an alcoholic solution of saffron du Gatinais for histological purposes, the dried saffron threads are dissolved in ethanol at a suitable concentration. The actual dye is extracted by heating and dissolves in the alcohol. For this reason, the ground saffron threads always remain in the solution as a sediment. After use, the extraction can be repeated by placing the solution in the heating cabinet at approx. 60 °C. The solution can then be stored for a longer period of time. In this way, the solution can be used for a long time in good quality. It is important that anhydrous alcohol in undenatured form is used.