Sunflower oil is an oil extracted from the oil seeds of sunflower. This oil is used for edible purposes. This oil is one of the common oils that is widely used for frying and cooking food. After getting oil from sunflower seeds, its flour is used for animal feed. Today, sunflower seeds have been genetically modified and by using plant breeding, they have produced better seeds and, as a result, better flowers that have better productivity and are more resistant to plant diseases and pests. Sunflower oil contains saturated fatty acids (5-16%) and the rest is unsaturated.
In general, there are four different types of sunflower oil, all of which are obtained from sunflower seeds and have different types and combinations of fatty acids:
Linoleic acid, also known as omega six, has several double bonds. Oleic acid is a type of omega-9 and has a double bond. These properties make sunflower oil liquid at room temperature. Both the fatty acids linoleic acid and oleic acid are important sources of energy for the body and contribute to the strength and ability of tissues and cells. However, different cooking methods can affect people's health. Sunflower oil with high oleic acid content has a higher amount of monounsaturated fatty acids and a lower amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids. One of the types of sunflower oil available in the market contains stearic acid and high oleic acid, which is solid at room temperature and has various uses in cooking. In general, some different types of sunflower oil are not used in home cooking and are often used in packaged foods, ice cream, chocolate, and industrial fryers.
All the benefits mentioned about sunflower oil are related to its high level of oleic acid. Studies have shown that high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid can play an effective role in reducing blood cholesterol levels and the risk of heart diseases. Studies have also concluded that people who eat diets rich in sunflower oil have significantly lower levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and higher HDL compared to diets rich in saturated fatty acids. Antioxidants in sunflower oil prevent bacteria and viruses from entering the body by strengthening cell membranes, and it also helps in increasing your body's ability to eliminate infections. Another benefit of sunflower oil is the lightness of this oil and its easy absorption in the digestive tract compared to other oils. This oil can also help as a laxative in the treatment of constipation.
The surplus of oil extraction factories, which is the solid residue of oil seeds, is called meal (oilcake or oilseed cake), which is often used as animal feed. There are four types of industrial extraction methods from sunflower oil seeds:
This method consists of two successive compression stages, which are performed by a hydraulic device, as long as the temperature does not exceed 60-80 degrees Celsius, and the duration of compression is 40-60 minutes. In this method, which is called the "cold method", the seeds are not cooked and the oil extraction does not take place completely, so the resulting flour will contain 6-12% of the remaining oil.
In this method, the seeds are heated up to 90-120 degrees Celsius while being under pressure in a special device and are cooked well. The oil of the seeds is extracted in a relatively more appropriate amount and the resulting flour, which is well roasted, contains about 4% oil, which is called fatty flour. The duration of pressure on the seeds in this method, which is known as the "hot method", does not exceed 3 minutes.
In this method, oil extraction is done by organic solvents such as "sulfur two carbons", "benzene" and "ether" at medium heat, but subsequently, the mixture of solvent and the resulting oil is mixed for a period of time. They face heat over 100 degrees Celsius for one hour.
In this method, the temperature should be lower than 75 degrees Celsius, so the seeds are not roasted. The resulting flour will be completely white and the protein value in it is well preserved. In general, flours that are prepared by extractive brushes have less than 0.5% oil and are called "non-fatty flours". Today, the flours that are pressed and incompletely obtained, at the end of the process, are again affected by chemical solvents to completely drain the oil from them.
According to the chosen method in the process of extracting oil from oil seeds, two types of meal with different nutritional values are obtained:
In this method, the seeds are crushed along with their cellulose membrane and put into the oil extraction process. The amount of cellulose in these types of flours is very high, but their nutritional value is low, so there is a possibility of causing digestive disorders while using them in livestock feed, so their consumption is not recommended for monogastric livestock such as pigs, horses, and birds. This type of meal, which is the best accompanying material in the food diet to absorb molasses, can be planned in the diet of ruminants such as cows, camels, sheep, and goats.
Obtained from the kernels of the seeds, this type of flour is white to yellow with a sweet and pleasant taste. All types of flour produced by pressing methods are relatively quickly oxidized and pungent due to the presence of oil with a high iodine index (about 128).
Sunflower oil has the highest share among the oils imported into the country. The statistics show that Iran ranks among the top first countries in the import of sunflower oil and ranks 22nd among the 34 countries with maximum and minimum production (from 1,000 tons to 5.5 million tons) in terms of production. The consumption rate of sunflower oil in Iran is also noteworthy so Iran ranks sixth among consuming countries in the world with about 760 thousand tons.
According to the latest statistics published in 2022, the amount of sunflower oil imported into Iran was about 700 thousand tons, palm oil was 500 thousand tons, and soybean oil was about 400 thousand tons. The amount of sunflower oil production in Iran was about 50 thousand tons in 2018, but according to the statistics of some sources, the amount of sunflower oil production in the crop year ending in 2021 has faced a decrease of about 30%. Iran's production rate is reported so; while Ukraine with 5.15 million tons and Russia with 4.65 million tons have the highest amount of sunflower oil production in the world. Argentina is in the third position with 1.4 million tons and other countries produce sunflower oil in the range of 500 thousand tons or less.
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