Sunflower oil

Sunflower ( Helianthus annuus )

Seed

Light yellow

Sunflower oil is a product obtained from the seeds of the sunflower vegetable oil, light yellow color and mild flavor. It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and is mainly used in the diet. In addition, sunflower oil is used for biodiesel production and for pharmaceutical or technical use. Sunflower oil is the vegetable oil with the fourth highest production volume worldwide.

Properties

Oil obtained by cold pressing sunflower oil is bright yellow, hot -pressed is reddish yellow. After extracting and refining the oil is light yellow and clear. The oil is almost odorless, it smells slightly aromatic oily, nutty and woody and has a roasting or green note on. The taste is mild.

Composition

The fatty acid composition in sunflower oil depending on the origin (variety ) of seed significantly different. In addition to the conventional sunflower oil, safflower oil, wherein as linoleic acid with 48-74 % similar to a main component of the unsaturated fatty acids, different kinds of elevated levels of certain fatty acids can be distinguished.

With the high oleic sunflower (HO sunflower ) was by conventional breeding the percentage of oleic acid increased to 70-92 % and the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids reduced to about 10%. High oleic sunflower oil thus has a similar composition to that of olive oil. This is a higher heat stability can be guaranteed.

Other varieties with modified fatty acid proportions arise for example sunflower oil high in linolenic acid of 76%. And sunflower oils with a high palmitic acid and linoleic acid ( 27.3% Palmitins./46, 8% linoleic. ) With high palmitic acid and oleic acid content ( 24.6% palmitic. 59.8 % linoleic. ) Or high stearic and oleic acid content (11% Stearins./79, 1% oil. ) before coming.

The majority of all present in vegetable oils, fatty acids attached to a glycerol residue as triglyceride. The proportion of free fatty acids ( FFA) in sunflower oil is relatively low at less than 1.8 %, and the peroxide value is less than 8.0 meq / kg. Striking the high vitamin E content in sunflower oil. This protects against oxidative spoilage and therefore improves the storability.

In cold pressing of the oil many vitamins and nutritionally valuable fatty acids remain in their bioactive form when the liquid is not above 30 ° C heated.

History

Sunflower oil was used in North America before three to four millennia. Presumably, Spanish explorers brought the plant with oil to Europe, where it was used mainly in Italy, Germany and France. Today, Russia is the most important producers of sunflower oil, another important producing regions are the EU, Argentina and Ukraine. With an estimated worldwide production volume of 11.5 million tonnes ( 2008/ 09) Sunflower oil is quantitatively the fourth most important vegetable oil for palm oil, soybean oil and rapeseed oil.

Collection and storage

For recovery of the oil, the mature sunflower seeds are shelled, ground and then cold-pressed, for the industrial use of the hot press is possible. A higher oil yield is possible by extraction. The oil obtained is partially refined to remove undesirable components.

Vegetable oil is cool ( <20 ° C), dry and protected from light. Sunflower oil is relatively stable in storage, the shelf life is max. 12 months after production.

Use

Besides the use as edible oil sunflower oil is also used in pharmacy and medicine and for industrial uses. The vegetable oil is considered valuable edible oil that has many uses: in salads and uncooked dishes, dressings and sauces, as well as the careful steaming vegetables. Sunflower oil of " high oleic " varieties is heat stable and is therefore also used for frying. Sunflower oil is also suitable for use in baby food, as well as for the production of mayonnaise and margarine.

In the pharmaceutical industry, the oil in soft gelatin capsules, a filling material is, in addition, there is used for ointments and creams, and can be replaced as olive oil or peanut oil in medical devices. Traditionally used is sunflower oil for constipation as well as externally to treat wounds and rheumatism.

Industrial sunflower oil for paints and coatings used, also it is contained in oil and artists' colors. Also in leather processing and in the textile manufacturing (preservative) it is used. As a biofuel can be used as a vegetable oil fuel pure sunflower oil, unlike rapeseed oil fuel, the fuel qualities are, however, very little research, and the reduction in the fuel tax is eliminated. However, standard is the production of biodiesel from sunflower oil: Around 10% of the biodiesel produced in Europe in 2007 consisting of sunflower oil (sunflower oil methyl ester, SME).