March 10, 2006

Three main sunflower oils offer health benefits

Following is information about the three main types of sunflower oil processed from sunflower seed: linoleic, NuSun and high oleic. All are developed from seed grown through standard non- transgenic breeding techniques. They differ in oleic levels and their unique properties.

Linoleic sunflower oil

The regular or linoleic sunflower oil is the original sunflower oil and is what you will find on the grocery shelves. Linoleic sunflower oil is an excellent cooking oil with a neutral taste. It is high in linoleic (polyunsaturated) acid, an essential fatty acid, and is the preferred oil in most of Europe, Russia and Mexico. Linoleic sunflower oil is about 69% polyunsaturated, 20% monounsaturated fat (oleic), and 11% low saturated fat.

Linoleic sunflower oil is available as a liquid salad oil and is used in margarine and shortening. Because of the high levels of polyunsaturated fats in linoleic sunflower oil, the oil is susceptible to oxidation during commercial use, especially frying. Like other highly polyunsaturated oils, such as soybean and canola, it can be hydrogenated to a more stable form.

High oleic sunflower oil

As its name implies, high oleic sunflower oil is very high in oleic (monounsaturated) acid. It usually is a minimum 80% oleic acid and can be above 90%.

Table 1. The National Sunflower Association reports that the number of acres of sunflower planted in Nebraska increased by 168% from 2004 to 2005. (Source: USDA’s Agricultural Statistics Service) All Sunflower Production: 10/12/2005 Acres Yield Production Harvested lbs/acre 1000 lbs 2004 53,000 1,017 53,900 2005 89,000 1,289 114,750 % of 2004 168% 127% 213% *Estimates for acres, yield and production include a combination of oil and non-oil sunflowers - refer to USDA's June report for a breakout between oil and non-oil.

The oil has a very neutral taste and provides excellent stability without hydrogenation and thus, has zero trans fats. Trans fat labeling is now the law so not having any will be an advantage. The oil has many uses, including bakery applications, spray coating for cereal, crackers and dried fruit, non-dairy creamers and thickening the appearance of sport drinks. It is also used as a hydraulic oil in food processing plants – if a hose is severed, any leaking oil will not contaminate food products. The patent on high oleic sunflower oil and seed has expired so the market segments and uses for high oleic are expected to expand.

NuSun or mid-oleic sunflower oil

NuSun is the predominant oil in production now. In 2005, it is estimated that 70% of the 2.2 million acres of sunflowers produced NuSun. It has about 65-75% oleic (monounsaturated) fat, about 15-25% linoleic (polyunsaturated) fat, and only 9% saturated fat (less than even olive oil). In the cooking process it is stable and needs no hydrogenation which also means zero transfats. NuSun has a good balance of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that enhances the taste of products. NuSun is preferred in comparative taste tests over high oleic oil.

The National Sunflower Association reports, “It outshines other oils for commercial use by providing optimal healthy benefits, great taste, and superior performance, while remaining trans fat free. A recently completed human NuSun diet study showed that NuSun has heart-healthy benefits of significantly reducing participants’ total and LDL cholesterol.”