Sunflower seeds

Generality

Botanical outline

In common parlance, the term "sunflower seeds" refers to the fruits of the homonymous plant (botanical name Helianthus annus, fam. Composite or Asteraceae). More precisely, they are achenes, indehiscent dried fruits containing a single seed (which do not release when ripe, hence "indehiscent") adhered in one point to the more or less hardened pericarp (crustacean in the case of sunflower seeds).

Description

Also what we normally call sunflower flower is actually an inflorescence, consisting of a set of flowers gathered according to a defined pattern: yellow on the outside and generally black-gray on the inside. Each inflorescence (or more correctly peeping) can also contain more than 1000 fruits, arranged in concentric hyperbolic spirals; the pericarp (the outer shell of the fruit), hard and indigestible, encloses an almond of great industrial and food interest (improperly called seed).

Property

Nutritional characteristics

Sunflower seeds are very caloric foods. Energy is provided mainly by lipids, followed by proteins and carbohydrates (on a par with each other).

Especially some varieties of sunflower seeds, particularly rich in proteins (even if of medium biological value), are used for human nutrition, going to embellish - also under the nutritional profile - different bakery products.

Carbohydrates are mainly complex (starch) and the fibers are present in considerable quantities.

Sunflower seeds are ideal for filling up with unsaturated fatty acids, both polyunsaturated (linoleic acid - omega 6) and monounsaturated (oleic acid - omega 9); also noteworthy are the levels of phytosterols and vitamin E (fat-soluble).

The lipid profile of sunflower seeds, due to the beneficial impact on the metabolism, lends itself to the diet against hypercholesterolemia. Furthermore, vitamin E (or tocopherol) has the greatest antioxidant effect; today it is highly sought after for its ability to slow down cellular aging and protect the body from certain degenerative diseases.

However, other vitamins are also abundant in sunflower seeds, such as B6 (pyridoxine), pantothenic acid (B5), folate and niacin (PP); among the minerals stands the excellent selenium content (also with interesting antioxidant properties), iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium and zinc.

The high energy power makes them ideal for breakfast or between one snack and another, mixed with other foods or taken individually in doses of 10-20 grams per day. Note : in case of overweight, sunflower seeds should be drastically limited or used instead of seasoning fats.

They do not contain gluten.


Sunflower seeds
Nutritional values per 100 g
Power		584 kcal
Total carbohydrates		20.0 g
	Starch	- g
	Simple sugars	2.62 g
fibers		8.6 g
Grassi		51.46 g
	Saturated	4.455 g
	Monounsaturated	18.528 g
	polyunsaturated	23.137 g
Protein		20.78 g
water		4.7 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equivalent		- μg	-%
	Beta-carotene	- μg	-%
	Lutein Zexanthin	- μg
Thiamine or B1		1.48 mg	129%
Riboflavin or B2		0.355 mg	30%
Niacin or PP or B3		8.355 mg	56%
Pantothenic acid or B5		1.13 mg	23%
Pyridoxine or B6		1, 345 mg	103%
Folic acid		227.0 μg	57%
Choline		55.1 mg	11%
Ascorbic acid or C		1.4 mg	2%
Vitamin D		- μg	-%
Alpha-tocopherol or E		35.17 mg	234%
Vit. K		- μg	-%
Minerals
Football		78.0 mg	8%
Iron		5.25 mg	40%
Magnesium		325.0 mg	ninety two%
Manganese		1.95 mg	93%
Phosphorus		660.0 mg	94%
Potassium		645.0 mg	14%
Sodium		9.0 mg	1%
Zinc		5.0 mg	53%
Fluoride		- μg

Fats and uses of sunflower oil

From the sunflower seeds a fat oil (22-36%) is extracted, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, particularly oleic (32%, monounsaturated) and linoleic (54%, polyunsaturated and precursor of omega 6). From a nutritional point of view, the richness in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids allows good control of low density cholesterol (LDL), which translates into a reduction in cardiovascular risk.

However, the abundance of omega 6 is not always considered a positive aspect; of polyunsaturated nature, omega 6 have questionable chemical, physical and nutritional characteristics:

They are hardly storable (they easily go rancid)
They do not resist heat well (low smoke point)
If in excess, they compromise the metabolism of omega 3 (compete for the same cellular enzymes). There is also a theory (not entirely confirmed) according to which the excess of arachidonic acid (derivative of linolenic acid) can increase the inflammatory state of the organism acting negatively on the cardiovascular risk.

The vitamin E content is surprising (60mg per 100 grams, equal to about 300% of the recommended daily dose), which preserves sunflower oil from becoming rancid and gives it precious antioxidant properties. For a correct maintenance of the product it is recommended to store it in a cool and dry place, away from light and heat sources.

New sunflower varieties: do they have different nutritional characteristics?

In recent decades, plants with a higher oleic acid content (up to 60% and more) have been selected, which have in fact opened up a new frontier for the possible uses of this crop.

In fact, a higher percentage of oleic acid means better resistance to thermal and oxidative degradation, hence the use in fry-shops instead of the more expensive olive oil (sunflower oil is still more expensive than palm oil or palm kernel oil). ).
The lower percentage of polyunsaturated fats makes it possible to obtain sausages less rancid from livestock fed with sunflower seeds and by-products of their processing.
Finally, this selection has also increased the industrial use profiles of sunflower oil, especially with regard to the development of biodegradable fuels and lubricants.

Type of oio	Total fats (g)	Saturated fat (g)	Monounsaturated fats (g)	Polyunsaturated fats (g)	Smoke point
Sunflower oil	100	11	20	69	225 ° C (437 ° F)
Sunflower oil with a high content of oleic acid	100	12	84	4

Physical properties of sunflower oil

Smoke point (refined)	232 ° C	450 ° F
Smoke point (unrefined)	107 ° C	225 ° F
Density (at 25 ° C)	918.8 kg / m3
Refractive index (at 25 ° C)	≈1.4735
saponifiable	188-194
Hate value	120-145
Not saponificabile	1.5-2.0%
Viscosity (at 25 ° C), unrefined	0.04914 kg / (m * s)