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Safflower
5 De Smet plants are processing safflower

Origin

While the culture of safflower is considered as one of the oldest, it is only since last 50 years that it has been considered as an oil seed. For centuries, it is has been grown in the Middle East, India and Egypt; today it is cultivated intensively in the USA (California).

Safflower is a herbaceous plant of about 1.2 m high, with serrated and pointed leaves like a thistle. The flower is oval and has a colour varying from orange yellow to red.

The fruit is a little bit like the sunflower seed; it has 6 to 8 mm long and its colour is like ivory.

The crop yields 1600 to 2400 kg of safflower seeds per hectare.

Composition

The seed composition is :
  • oil content : 26-37%
  • protein content : 10-15%
  • moisture : 4-6%
  • shells : 35-50%

In order to obtain a meal with a high protein content, a decorticating will be applied.

Safflower oil is siccative and contains :

  • 61-79% of linoleic acid
  • 13-15% of oleic acid
  • 6-7.5% of palmitic acid
  • 1-3% of stearic acid
  • Iodine Value : 140-150
  • saponification value : 188-194
  • melting point : -15/-18°C
  • titer : 15-18°C
  • unsaponifiables : 0.3-1.3%
  • viscosity at 20°C : 9-10° Engler

Process

The oil is extracted by :
- pre-pressing without preparation in front
- preparation of cakes by crackers and flakers
-solvent extraction

The crude oil is further refined in chemical or physical refining.
Normally, no winterising is required.

End uses

It can be used in food as margarine, cooking or salad oil; its high content in linoleic acid is highly appreciated in diets where polyunsaturated oils are sought.

It may also be used in the industry of varnishes, paints and resins.

Decorticating the seeds will produce a 42% protein content meal, which is used in poultry feed.

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