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After the domestication of the sunflower (3000 BC) the Native Americans obtained and used oil from the seeds. In the modern era, sunflower oil was first used in food in 1830, in Russia. Sunflower oil is a non-volatile oil pressed from the seeds of the sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Sunflower oil is commonly used in food as a frying oil and in cosmetic formulations as an emollient. Sunflower oil is primarily composed of linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fat, and oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat. Through selective breeding and manufacturing processes, oils of differing proportions of fatty acids are produced. The expressed oil has a neutral taste profile. The oil contains a large amount of vitamin E. The Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022 caused global prices of sunflower oil to increase by as much as 58% in a single month in 2022.
Sunflower oil is mainly a triglyceride. The British Pharmacopoeia lists the following profile:
*Palmitic acid (saturated): 5%
*Stearic acid (saturated): 6%
*Oleic acid (monounsaturated omega-9): 30%
*Linoleic acid (polyunsaturated omega-6): 59%
Four types of sunflower oils with differing concentrations of fatty acids are produced through plant breeding and industrial processing: high-linoleic (conventional), high-oleic, mid-oleic, and high-stearic combined with high-oleic.
*High-linoleic, 69% linoleic acid
*High-oleic, 82% oleic acid
*Mid-oleic, 65% oleic acid
*High-stearic with high-oleic, 18% stearic acid and 72% oleic acid
A 2017 genome analysis provided a basis for the development of hybrid sunflowers to increase oil production. Analysis of the sunflower genome duplication – starting about 29 million years ago – revealed two major breeding traits: flowering time and oil metabolism, which can be cultivated to improve the commercialization of sunflower oil.
Further analysis of the sunflower genome revealed that plant metabolism produces oil, phytosterols, and other phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, squalene, and terpenoids.
Several varieties of sunflower oil seeds have been developed by standard plant breeding methods, mainly to vary the amounts of oleic acid and linoleic acid which, respectively, are the predominant monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is 100% fat and is a rich source of vitamin E (tables).
Because sunflower oil is primarily composed of less-stable polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, it can be particularly susceptible to degradation by heat, air, and light, which trigger and accelerate oxidation. Keeping sunflower oil at low temperatures during manufacturing and storage can help minimize rancidity and nutrient loss—as can storage in bottles that are made of either darkly-colored glass or plastic that has been treated with an ultraviolet light protectant.
Extraction of sunflower oil leaves behind crushed seeds typically referred to as seed meal, which is rich in protein and dietary fiber and used as animal feed, fertilizer, or fuel. Sunflower oil dietary supplements have been marketed for the treatment of eczema, but research has shown it is not medically effective. Sunflower oil can be used to run diesel engines when mixed with diesel in the tank. Due to the high levels of unsaturated fats, there is higher viscosity in cold temperatures.
PEG-10 sunflower glycerides, a pale yellow liquid with a "slightly fatty" odor, are the polyethylene glycol derivative of the mono- and diglycerides derived from sunflower seed oil with an average of 10 moles of ethylene oxide. PEG-10 sunflower glycerides are commonly used in cosmetic formulations.
In the European Union sunflower oil can be sprayed onto tomato crops as a fungicide to control powdery mildew from Oidium neolycopersici. For this use, it is classified as a 'basic substance' that can be used on both organic and conventional farms.
Source: Online/GFMM
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