藏红花素主要存在于茜草科植物栀子、鸢尾科植物番红花和木犀科植物夜花等植物体中,是属于多烯色素(polyene pigments)类的一种重要化合物。多烯色素在植物界中分布很广泛,大多有美丽的外观,可是对光、热、氧、酸及碱等表现出不稳定,容易变质。而藏红花素为胡萝卜素类色素在植物体中被氧化,与二分子龙胆双糖结合的二元酯,水溶性好,着色力强,对光、热、氧、酸碱盐等的稳定性强,无毒性,且有利胆、降胆固醇等重要的药理作用。故作为天然色素,正日益引起人们的注意和兴趣。近年来国外已广泛用为食品添加剂,国内也刚开始重视这方面的研究和应用。藏红花素的分析方法主要有吸光光度法和液相色谱法等,这些方法测定的手续都较麻 Crocin is mainly found in plants such as Rubiaceae, Iris, Crocus and Oleaceae, and is an important compound belonging to polyene pigments. The polyene pigment is widely distributed in the plant kingdom, most of them have a beautiful appearance, but they are unstable to light, heat, oxygen, acids and bases, and are easily spoiled. Crocetin is a carotene pigment is oxidized in the plant, with two molecules of gentian disaccharide binding dibasic ester, good water solubility, strong tinting strength, stability to light, heat, oxygen, acid and alkali salts Strong, non-toxic, and beneficial gall, cholesterol and other important pharmacological effects. Therefore, as a natural pigment, it is increasingly arousing people’s attention and interest. In recent years, foreign countries have been widely used as food additives, the domestic has just begun to attach importance to this research and application. Crocodile analysis methods are absorbance spectrophotometry and liquid chromatography, the determination of these methods are more than Ma