Sunflower oil in United States

Sunflower oil is most popular in Canada and Russia. In the United States, the plants are widely grown in North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Texas, Colorado and Kansas. Sunflower oil is extracted from the seeds of a flower in the daisy family. Sun flower seeds contain 35 to 50 percent oil.

Special varieties of sunflower seeds are grown for their high oil content. These varieties generally have smaller flower tops than those grown for birdseed or for the nut. Growers in the United States developed a hybrid sunflower with substantially reduced linoleic fatty acid content on favor of oleic with more uniform results.

High-oleic sunflower seeds were produced commercially in 1984, and were later distributed worldwide.

This specialty oil has been found useful in food products, such as spray oils for snacks, crackers, and breakfast cereal; for frying oils; for special foods for infants and the elderly and for other products requiring a liquid oil with an exceptional oxidative stability.

Although 40 to 65 percent of the United States’ sunflower crop consists of oil varieties, only 20 to 25 percent of this is used in domestic consumption - 10 percent as vegetable oil and 15 percent as livestock feed.
Sunflower oil in United States