Sunflower oil: from traditional to “high oleic”.. Innovative technology reveals the truth in two minutes

Sunflower oil (Sunflower Oil) is one of the vegetable oils extracted from sunflower seeds. It is a light oil with a good flavor and is suitable for use in cooking.

Sunflower oil currently ranks fourth in the world among industrial oil crops, with Russia and Ukraine leading the first and second places in the world in its production.

Sunflower oil contains a high amount of unsaturated fat and is often used to prepare different foods and dishes due to its low content of saturated fat. This oil is divided into two main types depending on its content of oleic acid.

🔬 The two main types of sunflower oil

The difference in the composition of fatty acids makes a fundamental difference in the uses and stability of the oil:

1. “High-Oleic” (High-Oleic) Sunflower Oil

This type is produced from sunflower seeds that are specially modified or grown to produce oil rich in oleic acid.

• configuration: It contains 75% or more oleic acid (monounsaturated fat).
• Smoke Point: High, up to 232 degrees Celsius.
• Optimal use: It is suitable for deep frying and cooking at high temperatures due to its high stability and resistance to oxidation and decomposition when heated.

2. “Low Oleic” Sunflower Oil (High Linoleic)

It is produced from traditional sunflower seeds.

• configuration: It contains a high percentage of linoleic acid (more than 25% polyunsaturated fatty acids) and lower amounts of oleic acid (less than 65%).
• Smoke Point: Low, no higher than 160 degrees Celsius.
• Optimal use: It is not stable when heated, causing it to degrade and its specifications deteriorate by oxidation. So, it is only suitable for salads or stir-frying, not for deep frying.

💡 The necessity of discrimination: a new technology for consumer protection

Due to this fundamental difference, it has been necessary to conduct research that allows rapid detection of the difference between types of sunflower oil.

In this context, researchers at the University of Granada have designed an innovative technique that enables the accurate identification of the different types of sunflower oil available in the market. This system is based on oil spectroscopy and shows results in less than two minutes, without the use of chemicals and with the least possible environmental impact, which is in line with the “green analytical chemistry” philosophy aimed at consumer protection.

This methodology combines “instrumental fingerprinting” with advanced chemical measurements, enabling it to distinguish patterns that are invisible to the human eye. This clearly distinguishes between low-oleic and high-oleic sunflower oil.

📈 Increased selection and market value

“High oleic” sunflower oil has become an increasingly popular choice for cooking and frying, in addition to being used as an ingredient in cocoa cream or baked goods.

Its high nutritional value compared to other vegetable oils (such as palm oil or rapeseed oil) is due to its high concentration of oleic acid, which gives it health benefits similar to those provided by virgin olive oil.

Guillermo Jimenez Hernandez, the project's principal investigator and member of the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Granada, says: “This characteristic also increases its price, so it is essential to ensure that consumers get exactly what they buy.”

This innovative, fast, portable and environmentally friendly tool is ahead of current government regulations and comes in conjunction with regulating sunflower oil categories based on their fatty acid content.

We find that this development is not only an advantage for the food industry and regulatory bodies, but it is an important shift for consumers who will be able to obtain the oil they want specifically.

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