Sunflower seed oil is a popular vegetable oil, which is mainly used in cooking and food processing. There are two main methods to make sunflower seed oil: pressing method and solvent extraction method. These two methods have their own characteristics, and there are many steps in the production process to ensure the quality and purity of oil products.

Making sunflower seed oil by pressing method

Pressing is a physical way to extract oil, which is generally considered to be more natural. First, sunflower seeds need to be cleaned to remove impurities and ensure the cleanliness of raw materials. Then, the sunflower seeds are shelled and separated from the kernel, and the outer shell is separated from the inner kernel. Then, the embryo is flaked to make the sunflower seeds into thin slices, so that the subsequent steaming and frying are more uniform. The purpose of steaming and frying is to soften the blank and promote the precipitation of oil. After steaming and frying, the oil press is used for physical pressing to squeeze out the oil. Last, the residue is removed by filtration to obtain pure sunflower seed oil.

Making sunflower seed oil by solvent extraction method

Solvent extraction method is a chemical extraction process, which is suitable for large-scale production of sunflower seed oil. First, it is also necessary to clean sunflower seeds to ensure the quality of raw materials. Then husking and separating the kernel from the shell. The next step is flaking, which makes sunflower seeds into thin slices to prepare for the subsequent process. Then steaming and frying are carried out to soften the blank and promote the precipitation of oil. In the pre-pressing stage, part of the oil will be squeezed out, while the remaining oil will be extracted by leaching process. In the leaching process, the solvent is used to dissolve the oil in the embryo, and then the solvent and oil are separated through subsequent treatment, and finally the high-purity sunflower seed oil is obtained.

No matter which method is used to make sunflower seed oil, it is necessary to strictly control the technological process of each step to ensure the product quality. Sunflower seed oil produced by pressing method pays more attention to naturalness, while solvent extraction method is more suitable for industrial production, both of which have their own advantages in practical application.