Lab Tested Products & Quality Testing

Saffron is among the most adulterated foods in the world, and most of what is sold online as "premium" carries no evidence at all. We would rather show you something you can actually check.

How We Think About Quality

SaffronTownKashmir&Co. is a family farm in Pampore, now in its sixth generation. We grow and process what we sell rather than buying from other growers and putting our name on the packaging. That matters for quality because most of what determines a saffron thread's colour, flavour and aroma is decided in the first few hours after the flower is picked — hand-picking at dawn, separating the stigma the same day, and drying it carefully rather than quickly.

Every batch is sorted and checked by hand before it is packed. That is our own check, though, not an independent one. It tells you we are careful. It does not, on its own, tell you anything you can verify.

What Transparency Means Here

A great many websites say "lab tested" and show you a badge. A badge is not evidence. Where we have had a product tested, we publish the laboratory's actual report — the measured values, the method, the accreditation number, the dates and the signatories — so you can read the result for yourself rather than take our word for it.

Laboratory Testing, Where It Applies

Saffron and Shilajeet are where we currently have independent laboratory evidence. Saffron has a recognised international test standard — ISO 3632 — performed by an accredited government laboratory in our own town. Shilajeet has been tested for its key quality markers (fulvic and humic acid) and for heavy metals by a laboratory in Jaipur. As we extend testing to other products, we will publish those results here in the same format.

Each report below is evidence for the sample identified on that report, and nothing more. The saffron report covers the saffron sample submitted to IKSTC Dussu; the Shilajeet report covers the Shilajeet sample submitted to Uniq Nutri Bio-Sciences. Neither one is evidence about our dry fruits, honey or any other product, and we do not present them that way. A laboratory report is also not a certification or a regulatory approval — the Shilajeet report page sets out that distinction in detail.

For general guides to spotting real products and verifying lab test claims from any seller, not just us, see how to check if saffron is actually lab tested and how to check if shilajit is actually lab tested.

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Documented Example

Our Pampore Saffron

In September 2026 we submitted a sample of our saffron to the Quality Evaluation Laboratory at IKSTC Dussu, Pampore — a NABL-accredited laboratory operating under ISO/IEC 17025:2017, run by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Kashmir. The sample was classified Grade 1, the highest category under ISO 3632.

What the report tested

ISO 3632 is the international standard for saffron. It measures the concentration of three compounds that the saffron thread produces naturally, alongside physical cleanliness, ash content and moisture. Seven characteristics were assessed in total:

• Crocin — colouring strength, measured by absorbance at 440 nm
• Picrocrocin — flavour strength, at 257 nm
• Safranal — aroma strength, at 330 nm
• Extraneous matter — floral and plant waste mixed among the threads
• Foreign matter — material from other plants
• Total ash — mineral residue, by ISO 928
• Moisture and volatile matter — how thoroughly the saffron was dried

What the results show

The sample met the Grade 1 specification on all seven characteristics. The three compound measurements:

On cleanliness, extraneous matter measured 0.04% against a Grade 1 ceiling of 0.5%, and foreign matter 0.02% against a ceiling of 0.1%. Total ash came in at 4.45% against a maximum of 8.0%, and moisture at 11.10% within the 10–12% band. Every figure, alongside the Grade 2 and Grade 3 thresholds for comparison, is on the full report page.

Test scope

The report covers the 10 gm sample submitted in September 2026. That sample was drawn from the same fields and the same process as the saffron we sell, and the classification applies to those threads.

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Documented Example

Our Ladakhi Shilajeet

In September 2025 we submitted a sample of our Ladakhi Shilajeet resin to Uniq Nutri Bio-Sciences LLP, Jaipur, a laboratory that states on its report it is Government Approved, ISO 9001 and ILACMRA certified for food, environmental and nutritional testing. The laboratory's own remark on the result was that all the parameters are according to FSSAI guidelines. That is the laboratory's observation about the parameters it tested; it is not an FSSAI certification or approval.

What the report tested

• Fulvic acid and humic acid — the two organic acid groups used as the main quality markers for shilajeet resin
• Four heavy metals — lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium
• Fourteen minerals per 100 g — including iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc
• Seven other nutritional parameters per 100 g — energy, protein, fibre, carbohydrates, fats, trans fat and cholesterol

What the results show

Fulvic acid measured 74.01% and humic acid 10.83%. All four heavy metals tested came back below the laboratory's limit of quantification — lead and cadmium below 0.05 ppm, arsenic and mercury below 0.01 ppm. Every mineral and nutrient value, alongside the test method used for each, is on the full report page. For a general guide to reading any shilajit lab report, see how to check if shilajit is actually lab tested.

Test scope

This is a nutritional and heavy-metal panel against FSSAI guidelines, not a test for botanical authenticity or adulteration, and it covers the single approx. 30 gm sample submitted in September 2025. Full detail, including what this report does and does not cover, is on the report page.

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Read It Yourself

We publish each report in full rather than summarising it into a badge — every measured value, the laboratory's details, and its own closing statement reproduced word for word.

Questions About Our Testing

Who carried out the tests?
Saffron: the Quality Evaluation Laboratory at IKSTC Dussu in Pampore, run by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Kashmir, accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 under NABL Certificate No. TC-11943. Shilajeet: Uniq Nutri Bio-Sciences LLP in Jaipur, which states on its report that it is Government Approved and ISO 9001 / ILACMRA certified.

Can I see the actual reports rather than a summary?
Yes — that is the point of this page. The saffron report and the Shilajeet report are each published in full.

Which products do these reports cover?
Each report covers the sample identified on it — the saffron sample submitted to IKSTC Dussu, and the Shilajeet sample submitted to Uniq Nutri Bio-Sciences. They are not evidence about any other product we sell.

What does Grade 1 measure?
Grade 1 is the top ISO 3632 specification for saffron, covering colouring, flavour and aroma strength together with cleanliness, ash and moisture. The tested saffron sample met it on all seven characteristics. Shilajeet is not graded under ISO 3632 — its report measures fulvic/humic acid, heavy metals and nutritional content instead.

Will you test more products?
That is the intention, and results will be published here in the same way.

Related

• Saffron Lab Test Report — the full IKSTC document
• Shilajeet Lab Test Report — the full Uniq Nutri Bio-Sciences document
• How to Check If Saffron Is Actually Lab Tested
• How to Check If Shilajit Is Actually Lab Tested
• How to Identify Pure Kashmiri Saffron
• How to Test Saffron Purity at Home: Step-by-Step
• How Can You Tell If Saffron Is Real?
• How to Identify Genuine Kesar in India
• Kashmir Saffron GI Tag: What It Means (and What It Doesn't)
• Kashmiri Saffron Grades: Mongra vs. Lacha vs. Guchhi
• Kashmiri Saffron Price: What Genuine Pampore Kesar Actually Costs
• How to Identify Real Shilajit
• What Is Shilajit?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Shop Kashmiri Mongra Saffron
• Shop Ladakhi Shilajit Resin
• Our Farm in Pampore

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