SUNFLOWER OIL WITH GROWING UNIT

Sunflower is generally known as common sunflower and Botanically known as Helianthus annuus. It is an annual herb with erect, rough, hairy stem, 2-15 ft. high; leaves 4-12 in. long, alternate, long stalked, broadly ovate to cordate, coarsely toothed, roughly pubescent on both sides; flower heads usually 3-6 in. wide, but attaining 12-24 in. width under cultivation: glowers single or double, terminal on the main axis and branches: receptacles flat, more frequently dilated and convex: ray florets yellow, surrounding a brown purple centre of disc florets; seeds (achenes) cylindrical, obovoid-compressed, 3/8 in. long and 4 in. broad, white, black or striped grey and black; pappus falling early. Sunflower is self-sterile and fertilization is normally effected by insects.

H. annuus is not known in the wild state. it is considered to have originated from H. lenticularis Douglas, a wild plant indigenous to Mexico. H. annuus has long been grown as an ornamental plant and both annual and perennial types are found in gardens. A number of forms with single or double flowers, in yellow, golden and red shades have been developed by intensive breeding work. Some well-known horticultural forms are: var. californicus Hort.; var. citrinus Hort.; var. globosus-fistulosus Hort.; and var. variegatus Hort. Selections have also been obtained from H. debilis Nutt. (syn. H. cucumerifolius Torr. & Gray), an annual, short-statured species with shining foliage and strongly bicoloured rays, quite different from those of H. annuus. A collarette form resembling collarette Dahlia has been obtained from a culture of red sunflower. There are also on record hybrids obtained by crossing annual and perennial species of helianthus.

Though cultivated mainly as a garden plant, sunflower owes its economic value to its utility as an oil-seed or fodder crop. It was tried long ago as an oil-seed crop in Caucasus and Ukraine and has now become well established in Russia and the Balkans. In recent years, it has gained importance as an oil-seed crop in Argentina, U.S.A. and Canada. Other countries where it is grown to some extent for oil are China, Turkey, Italy, France, Chile and Uruguay; it is also raised on a small scale in England, eastern and southern Africa and pars of Asia and Australia.

Sunflower oil is the non-volatile oil pressed from the seeds of sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Sunflower oil is commonly used in food as frying oil, and in cosmetic formulations as an emollient. The world’s total production of sunflower oil in 2014 was nearly 16 million tons, with Ukraine and Russia as the largest producers.

Sunflower oil is a monounsaturated (MUFA)/polyunsaturated (PUFA) mixture of mostly oleic acid (omega-9)-linoleic acid (omega-6) group of oils. The oil content of the seed ranges from 22% to 36% (average, 28%): the kernel contains 45–55% oil. The expressed oil is of light amber color with a mild and pleasant flavor; refined oil is pale yellow. Refining losses are low and the oil has good keeping qualities with light tendency for flavor reversion. The oil contains appreciable quantities of vitamin E, sterols, squalene, and other aliphatic hydrocarbons.

Genome analysis and development of hybrid sunflowers to increase oil production are occurring to meet increased demand for sunflower oil.