Sunflower oil: what do we know about it?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Back in 1829, a certain peasant from the Voronezh province invented a method for obtaining oil from sunflower seeds. The Church then ranked the new product among the Lenten. At that time, people did not even guess that about two hundred years would pass and sunflower oil would become so popular that almost every home would have its reserves. Cooking something in a pan or trying a recipe for a new salad, we do not think about this unique product. It's time to fill the knowledge gaps.

How sunflower oil is produced

The manufacturing technology of this product is quite simple: first, the seeds are cleaned in the rush-and-leaf section, where the kernels are separated from the husks. Then the kernels go to the rollers, which crush them into a pulp. The latter undergoes heat treatment in the braziers, and then enters the compartment with a press. There, press sunflower oil is obtained from it, which still needs to be filtered, and the remaining press goes to the extraction shop, in whichreceive an additional 20% of the product. In order for the obtained sunflower oil to take on a familiar look, it subsequently undergoes a process of purification and refining, for which methods such as centrifugation, settling, hydration, bleaching, deodorization and freezing are used.

Composition

Depending on what stages of processing and pressing the final product has passed, one or another percentage of vitamins, fatty acids, phospholipids and other substances is obtained. The beneficial qualities that sunflower oil has directly depend on the ratios in which it contains palmitic, arachidic, linoleic, stearic, oleic and myristic acids, phosphorus-containing, waxy and volatile substances, as well as vitamins A, D, E. GOST R 52465-2005 defines the exact criteria for the first grade, but we will not go into details. We only note how the main types of sunflower oil differ and what they are best suited for.

Product varieties

The most useful is considered to be raw sunflower oil, which is obtained after the first extraction and subsequent filtration. It has a pleasant smell and taste, and stearins, phosphatides, tocopherols and other useful components are completely preserved in its composition. If it is stored long enough, it begins to become cloudy and bitter. It is best used for salads and cold dishes. Hydrated sunflower oil is obtained by heating to 60°C.and passing hot sprayed water through it. As a result of this procedure, protein and mucous substances remain in the sediment, and the product ceases to become cloudy. At the same time, this process leads to a decrease in odor and taste and a less intense color. Refined oil is obtained by treating the product with alkali, as a result of which fatty acids and phospholipids are removed from it. It is clear that there will be even less benefit from it, but it is considered an excellent choice for stewing and frying. For the preparation of dietary products and baby food, refined oil that has undergone a deodorization process is used. It contains almost no aromatic substances, which contributes to its long storage. Finally, there is also frozen butter. It has removed all waxy substances, which is why it turns out to be transparent and stops becoming cloudy when cooled. As it is easy to see, it is impossible to say that this or that type is the best sunflower oil. It all depends on what and how it will be used.