Safflower oil is extracted from safflower seeds (Carthamus tinctorius). The cold-pressed variety has a low smoke point and should only be used as a salad oil or for steaming or cooking foods briefly. A distinction is generally made between two varieties of safflower oil based on the proportion of oleic acid they contain. The oleic acid is also the reason why the oil is used for medicinal purposes, such as in patients with hypercholesterolaemia, for prophylaxis, and for treatment of atherosclerosis.
General information:
From Wikipedia: “Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is a highly branched, herbaceous, thistle-like annual plant. It is commercially cultivated for vegetable oil extracted from the seeds. Plants are 30 to 150 cm (12 to 59 in) tall with globular flower heads having yellow, orange, or red flowers. Each branch will usually have from one to five flower heads containing 15 to 20 seeds per head. Safflower is native to arid environments having seasonal rain. It grows a deep taproot which enables it to thrive in such environments.”
Uses:
“Traditionally, the crop was grown for its seeds, and used for coloring and flavoring foods, in medicines, and making red (carthamin) and yellow dyes, especially before cheaper aniline dyes became available. For the last fifty years or so, the plant has been cultivated mainly for the vegetable oil extracted from its seeds.”
Seed oil:
“Safflower seed oil is flavorless and colorless, and nutritionally similar to sunflower oil. It is used mainly in cosmetics and as a cooking oil, in salad dressing, and for the production of margarine. ...
There are two types of safflower that produce different kinds of oil: one high in monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid) and the other high in polyunsaturated fatty acid (linoleic acid). Currently the predominant edible oil market is for the former, which is lower in saturated fats than olive oil. The latter is used in painting in the place of linseed oil, particularly with white paints, as it does not have the yellow tint which linseed oil possesses.”
Research:
“Oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, notably linoleic acid, are considered to have some health benefits. One human study compared high-linoleic safflower oil with conjugated linoleic acid, showing that body fat decreased and adiponectin levels increased in obese women consuming safflower oil.
The assumed benefits of linoleic acid in the case of heart disease are less obvious: in one study where high-linoleic safflower oil replaced animal fats in the diets of patients with heart disease, the group receiving safflower oil in place of animal fats had a significantly higher risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular diseases. In the same study, a meta-analysis of linoleic acid used in intervention clinical trials showed no evidence of cardiovascular benefit. However, a meta-analysis published in 2014 concluded that linoleic acid in people's diet "is inversely associated with CHD risk in a dose-response manner. These data provide support for current recommendations to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat for primary prevention of CHD."
Flowers:
“Safflower flowers are occasionally used in cooking as a cheaper substitute for saffron, sometimes referred to as "bastard saffron".
In coloring textiles, dried safflower flowers are used as a natural dye source for the orange-red pigment Carthamin. Carthamin is also known, in the dye industry, as Carthamus Red or Natural Red 26.”
Production:
“In 2013, global production of safflower seeds was 718,161 tonnes, with Kazakhstan accounting for 24% of the total. Other significant producers were India, the United States, Mexico and Argentina.”
Interesting facts:
“Safflower is one of humanity's oldest crops. Chemical analysis of ancient Egyptian textiles dated to the Twelfth Dynasty identified dyes made from safflower, and garlands made from safflowers were found in the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun.”
Nutrient tables
The complete nutritional information, coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in the following nutrient tables.
Nutritional Information
|
per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
|
---|---|---|---|
Energy | 884 kcal 3'699 kJ | 44.2% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2000kcal | |
Fat/Lipids | 100 g | 142.9% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 70g | |
Saturated Fats | 7.5 g | 37.7% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 20g | |
Carbohydrates (inc.dietary fiber) | 0 g | 0.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 270g | |
Sugars | 0 g | 0.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 90g | |
Fiber | 0 g | 0.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 25g | |
Protein/Albumin | 0 g | 0.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 50g | |
Cooking Salt | n/a |
Essential micronutrients with the highest proportions | per 100g | 2000 kcal | |
---|---|---|---|
Vit | Vitamin E, as a-TEs | 34 mg | 284.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 12 mg |
Fat | Linoleic acid; LA; 18:2 omega-6 | 13 g | 127.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 10 g |
Vit | Vitamin K | 7.1 µg | 9.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 75 µg |
Fat | Alpha-Linolenic acid; ALA; 18:3 omega-3 | 0.10 g | 5.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 2.0 g |
Min | Iron, Fe | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Elem | Magnesium, Mg | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Elem | Phosphorus, P | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg |
Elem | Potassium, K | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Sodium, Na | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg | |
Min | Copper, Cu | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Detailed micronutrients and daily requirement coverage per 100g
Explanations of nutrient tables in general
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Essential fatty acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Linoleic acid; LA; 18:2 omega-6 | 13 g | 127.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 10 g |
Alpha-Linolenic acid; ALA; 18:3 omega-3 | 0.10 g | 5.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 2.0 g |
Essential amino acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Tryptophan (Trp, W) | 0 g | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.25 g |
Threonine (Thr, T) | 0 g | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Isoleucine (Ile, I) | 0 g | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.2 g |
Leucine (Leu, L) | 0 g | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 2.4 g |
Lysine (Lys, K) | 0 g | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.9 g |
Methionine (Met, M) | 0 g | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Phenylalanine (Phe, F) | 0 g | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Valine (Val, V) | 0 g | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Vitamins | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Vitamin E, as a-TEs | 34 mg | 284.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 12 mg |
Vitamin K | 7.1 µg | 9.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 75 µg |
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg |
Thiamine (vitamin B1) | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.1 mg |
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Niacin (née vitamin B3) | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 16 mg |
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 6.0 mg |
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Vitamin A, as RAE | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg |
Vitamin D | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 5.0 µg |
Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg |
Essential macroelements (macronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Calcium, Ca | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Magnesium, Mg | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Phosphorus, P | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg |
Potassium, K | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Sodium, Na | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Essential trace elements (micronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Iron, Fe | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Zinc, Zn | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 10 mg |
Copper, Cu | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Manganese, Mn | 0 mg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg |
Selenium, Se | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 55 µg |
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