The Characteristics and Qualities of Seed Oils from Various Sunflowers Grown in Japan

The Domestic Resources of Fats and Oils Part I

Abstract

Four varieties of sunflower seed from USA, USSR and France were grown in Hokkaido. The weight percent of kernel and hull, lipid composition, fatty acid composition and tocopherol content of them were determined. The kernel was 71.5-78.2% of the seed weight. The lipid contents in the kernel were 52.7-59.8%, while in the hull 2.0-3.2%. The major component in the kernel and hull lipids was triglyceride. The triglyceride in the kernel lipids was 97.3-98.9%, and in the hull lipids was 81.2-86.9%. The other components except for triglyceride in the hull lipids were free fatty acid 4.3-5.5%, sterol (contain alcohol) 3.5-6.7%, sterol esters (contain alcohol ester) 2.1-3.0%, monoglyceride 0.9-2.3% and diglyceride about 1.4%. Main fatty acid in the seed lipids was linoleic acid (67.7-70.7%), followed by oleic acid (16.5-19.9%), palmitic acid (5.7-6.4%) and stearic acid (4.4-5.6%). Linolenic acid was less than 0.2%. From the result of tocopherol analysis by high performance liquid chromatography, alpha tocopherol was the main component and amounted to 94.4-96.3% of total tocopherol.