Sunflower oil (cold pressed?, organic?)

Sunflower oil ( sunflower seed oil), made from the peeled seeds of the sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ), consists of a high proportion of linoleic acid ( LA , omega-6 fatty acid).

Use in the kitchen:

Sunflower oil, actually sunflower seed oil, is very popular due to its mild taste. Cold-pressed oil has a more yellowish color and tastes a little nuttier than refined oil. Cold-pressed sunflower oil is used to refine raw dishes such as salads, dressings or sauces. It can occasionally be used for gently sautéing (e.g. vegetables), but it is not suitable for high temperatures. Refined sunflower oil tastes more neutral, is lighter, almost colorless and can be heated up to around 180 °C. However, there is a risk of trans fats here. ¹

Which oil is best for frying? There are so-called "high oleic" sunflower varieties. Due to special breeding processes, these varieties produce very heat-stable oils. Such HO oils can also be used for frying or deep-frying (up to 210 °C).

Sunflower oil is also often found in baby food. Because of its yellow color, it is valued for the production of margarine or mayonnaise.

Please note: Even though sunflower oil has a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, the LA:ALA ratio is very poor . The proportion of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids is particularly high. Which is better, rapeseed oil or sunflower oil? Rapeseed oil has a much higher content of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids . Read more about this in the box link and further down in the text.

Vegan recipe for banana blueberry cake:

Ingredients: 250 g wholemeal spelt flour , 150 g oat flakes , 200 ml sunflower oil - only in the form of HO oil, 80 g fine raw sugar , 1 packet of baking powder , 1 pinch of salt , 150 gblueberries , 3 bananas .

Preparation: Puree the bananas and blueberries finely and mix well with all the other ingredients. Grease a cake tin (e.g. loaf tin) well, dust with flour and fill with the dough. Put the cake in the preheated oven and bake at 200 °C top and bottom heat for approx. 35-40 minutes.

Vegan recipes with sunflower oil can be found under the note: " Recipes that have the most of this ingredient ".

Shopping - where to buy?

Refined sunflower oil can be found in all supermarket chains such as Coop , Migros , Denner , Volg , Spar , Aldi , Lidl , Rewe , Edeka , Hofer etc. Since it does not require any labelling, it can be recognised by its almost colourless or only light yellow colour. Due to the use of high temperatures or chemical solvents, this oil contains hardly any ingredients worth mentioning. However, it can be heated to higher temperatures and has a longer shelf life.

Selected supermarkets, organic shops, health food stores and drugstores also have cold-pressed sunflower oil from organic production (organic) in their range. Cold-pressed sunflower oil is often also called "native". It still contains valuable ingredients and is more intense in color and flavor. Organic oil is never refined, only deodorization (removal of odors and flavors) is sometimes permitted. However, many organic associations are critical of this process and therefore prohibit it. Cold-pressed oil is made from unpeeled, germinable seeds; some perceive it as bitter, tart or even rancid. ² However, rancidity means that the oil has experienced too much oxidation in the air or has been exposed to water.

Found in the wild:

Of course not the oil, but the sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ) can be found in the wild on rubble weed beds, on the edges of paths and roads.

Production:

To produce sunflower oil (sunflower seed oil), you need the closed fruits (achenes) of the sunflower. Peeling and cleaning machines free the seeds from their shells and separate them from each other. The most gentle pressing method is cold pressing: the seeds are only pressed mechanically. The temperatures generated by the pressing pressure do not usually exceed 40 °C. We could not find any law or regulation that states that virgin, cold-pressed sunflower oil must be pressed at temperatures below 30 °C. ³ However, comparable restrictions do exist within olive oil production (see ingredient olive oil ).

Refining is carried out using either a warm or hot pressing process, where sunflowers are steamed at temperatures of around 100 °C - or solvent extraction is used. The reason for these processes is to preserve a certain taste or smell, extend the shelf life, change the color or for further technical processing. This removes undesirable accompanying substances from the crude oil, such as pigments, odors, flavors and bitter substances. ⁴

Although the yield is greater with refined products, ingredients, secondary plant substances and polyunsaturated fatty acids suffer from this process.

Storage:

Sunflower oil will last for more than a year if stored in a cool, dark place, and refined oils can last up to two years. Cold-pressed sunflower oil, on the other hand, should be put in the fridge after opening and used quickly. It is better to divide it into small bottles so that oxygen is not constantly introduced when a larger bottle is opened repeatedly.

Ingredients - nutritional value - calories:

Sunflower oil has 884 kcal/100g, which come exclusively from fat. The proportion of saturated fats is around 10%. The ratio between the two unsaturated fats linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is 616:1. ⁵ DEBInet (shows values from the Federal Food Key version 3.02) lists a sunflower oil with 50.18 g linoleic acid (LA) and 0.18 g alpha-linolenic acid (ALA): This oil also contains a lot of omega-6 (ratio of 280:1 instead of the recommended ratio of 5:1, Federal Nutrition Commission EEK , 2006).

What is worth mentioning about sunflower oil is its vitamin E content (41 mg/100g). This fat-soluble vitamin plays an important role as an antioxidant in the body and also increases the storage life of the oil. Hemp oil and hazelnut oil have a similar value. Wheat germ oil has significantly more alpha-tocopherol at 149 mg/100g. ⁵

Sunflower oil also contains some vitamin K : 5.4 µg/100g. This fat-soluble vitamin is mainly found in green vegetables or salad: spinach has 483 µg/100g and leek 46 µg. But rapeseed oil also has many times more (13x more) vitamin K, with 71 µg/100g. ⁵

During the cold pressing process, most of the vitamins and fatty acids from the sunflower seeds are retained in their original form.

The complete ingredients of sunflower oil, the coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in our nutrient tables. In the article Nutrients explained you will get a detailed insight into the topic.

Health aspects - effects:

Sunflower oil is said to be helpful for diabetics due to its monounsaturated oleic acid (oleic acid) and to reduce resistance to the hormone "I". ⁶ Studies on cell cultures show that oleic acid suppresses the activity of tumor cells. ^7,8 However, natural sunflower oil only contains 19.5% monounsaturated oleic acid (18:1), almonds and almond milk have a good 31%, rapeseed oil between 60 and 70% and safflower oil 74%.

A 2017 study showed that regular intake of linoleic acid counteracts the development of type 2 diabetes. ⁹

In vivo studies have shown that people with dyslipidemia had a reduction in blood cholesterol levels when they regularly consumed sunflower oil. ¹⁰ studies commissioned by industry focus only on the benefits and simply ignore everything else - including foods that would be much more effective in this regard.

However, these positive effects are offset by the following:

Dangers - Intolerances - Side effects:

All refined vegetable oils contain 3-MCPD fatty acid esters, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer ( IARC ) classified as a "possible human carcinogen" in 2011. The highest levels are found in highly refined vegetable oils and vegetable fats. Some of them are also hydrogenated (e.g. margarines). Higher levels of fatty acid esters were also found in infant milk powder, as they contain refined fats and oils. The last step in the refining process, deodorization, leads in most cases to the development of 3-MCPD esters. In some cases they can also form during steam treatment. Since refining is not subject to labeling, we should assume that oils that are not labeled "cold-pressed" or "native" have been refined. Animal fats such as butter, lard, etc. do not contain 3-MCPD esters, as they are not normally refined. ¹¹

Certain food technology processes can convert natural cis configurations of unsaturated fatty acids into trans configurations. Trans fatty acids can cause lipid metabolism disorders or promote coronary heart disease. Hydrogenation can change the texture and stability of oils and harden them. For example, unsaturated fatty acids are converted into saturated fatty acids to make margarine. ¹² For several years now, the content of trans fatty acids in foods has been reduced. ¹³ Many European countries have introduced a legal upper limit of a maximum of 2% for industrially produced trans fatty acids in the fat fraction of foods. ¹⁴

Cold-pressed sunflower oil (sunflower seed oil) in particular contains a large amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids (linoleic acid, LA) are important, but in high doses they promote inflammation in the body. Since we consume too much of this fatty acid, we should make sure to consume more omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid, ALA). This can improve the LA:ALA ratio. As mentioned above, the fatty acid ratio (LA:ALA) should not exceed 5:1. Examples of foods rich in ALA include linseed oil , rapeseed oil and walnut oil - although avoiding oil (and switching to ALA-rich nuts and seeds) would be even healthier. You can find out more details about this problem in the ingredient olive oil .

Sunflowers can rarely trigger pollen and food allergies. They form an allergen community with mugwort and other Asteraceae.

Folk medicine - natural medicine:

What is sunflower oil good for? Oil pulling treatments (also known as oil treatments, oil sucking or oil chewing) are primarily known as Ayurvedic methods in India. Sesame oil was used for research purposes, which had a significant effect against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus . In Russia, thanks to Fedor Karach, sunflower oil is known as a detoxifying agent (in oil treatments). The process is also said to prevent pathogens from settling in the mouth and throat. Oil pulling is also said to have a positive effect against rheumatism and stomach and intestinal problems. ⁷

Sunflower petals are also used in folk medicine. As a tincture or tea, they are effective against fever, for example in cases of malaria or lung diseases. ¹⁵

The oil from the seeds is also used externally: the oil is massaged into aching limbs or it is used to treat wounds that are slow to heal. Internally, the oil is said to have a laxative effect. ¹⁵

Occurrence - Origin:

Sunflowers originate in North and Central America. The oilseed came to Europe through Spanish explorers. Promising breeding took place in the Russian Ukraine. The most important producers are Russia and Argentina. ¹⁶ In terms of quantity, sunflower oil is the fourth most produced worldwide after palm, soy and rapeseed oil. ¹⁷

Cultivation - Harvest:

The annual Asteraceae can grow up to a height of 3 m, although this is rarely the case. ¹⁸ Their strong stems are filled with pith and have alternately arranged, heart-shaped, triangular, rough-haired leaves. The large flower heads can reach a diameter of up to 35 cm. The flowering period is from July to September. The fat content of the kernels varies greatly depending on the variety. ¹⁵ With an annual average grain yield of around 2.5 t/ha, around 10 t of harvest residues (straw) remain in the field. ¹⁹

Short-stemmed varieties are preferred for harvesting ripe sunflower seeds. Tall, leafy cultivars are suitable for green silage.

High-oleic sunflowers (HO) are sunflowers that have been bred (not genetically modified!) to have an oleic acid content of 75-93%. Normal varieties have between 14 and 39.4% oleic acid. ²⁰ The high proportion of monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid) also increases the heat and oxidation stability of the oil. ²¹ The smoke point of HO sunflower oil thus rises to around 220 °C.

Genetically modified sunflowers are controversial; they are said to be resistant to drought, heat, insecticides, herbicides and plant diseases. Such plants have been approved for cultivation in Canada, for example. ²

Danger of confusion:

As it belongs to the same genus, Helianthus annuus could be confused with Helianthus tuberosus when it is in bloom. However, it is not the oil-containing seeds of this plant that are used, but rather the inulin-containing tuber: it is known commercially as Jerusalem artichoke .

Animal protection - species protection - animal welfare:

Sunflowers with their large basket flowers are an ideal source of pollen and food for bees, insects and birds. Grown in small gardens, meadows or as flowering areas, they help protect species.

General information:

The sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ) belongs to the daisy family. The seeds have an oil content of about 50%.

Alternative names:

Common names for the sunflower are: God's eye, gold flower, sun crown, sun star. ¹⁵

The drug name for sunflower petals is Helianthi flos, and sunflower oil is Helianthi oleum. In English, sunflower oil is called sunflower oil.

Keywords for use:

High-oleic sunflower oil with more than 90% oleic acid is found in chemical industries, e.g. in the manufacture of lubricants. These heat-stable sunflower varieties are also used in cosmetics. ²¹

Sunflower oil is also a component of industrial paints and varnishes and many artists' paints. It is used as a preservative in leather processing and in the cloth factory.

Sunflower oil is also used as a plant fuel, but there is still a need for research in this area. According to Wikipedia , the share of sunflower oil methyl ester (SME) was around 10% of all biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester, FAME) produced in Europe in 2007.

The pharmaceutical industry also uses sunflower oil for ointments and creams, which partially replaces olive oil or peanut oil . Press residues and defatted flour are approved for animal feed.

In May 2019, there was a scandal over "adulterated olive oil" that was produced from sunflower oil and soybeans .

Literature - Sources: