The role of safflower oil in edible oil applications

Safflower oil has been used as an edible oil in numerous countries for many years. In the US, commercial use of safflower oil as an edible product was noted in the 1950's and the use continues at progressively higher levels each year. One use of safflower oil in “dressing” type products is related to the natural cold resistance of the oil. Other applications include oil, margarine and some imitation dairy products. Additional development work has been done on other food products so that the scope of usage could be broadened if there should be increased demands for safflower oil. The susceptibility of safflower oil to oxidation has been minimized by improved processing and packaging. Further use of safflower oil appears to be dependent upon availability, pricing, good cold resistance and the role of polyunsaturates in the diet.     

American safflower seed oil

Summary The chemical and physical characteristics of a sample of hot pressed oil from saflower seed grown in Montana have been determined. This oil was found to contain 87.72 per cent of unsaturated acids, and 5.92 per cent of saturated acids. The composition of the oil has been determined with the following results, and, for comparison, results for sunflower seed and soy bean oils previously obtained, are also given. It will be observed that safflower oil contains a considerably larger proportion of linolic acid and less oleic acid than either of the other two oils, and this fact would account for its superior drying power.     

Oxidative stability of safflower oil

Oils from a number of varieties of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seeds (achene) were measured for oxidative stability by the gain in weight method. The induction periods of oils containing 75% to 80% linoleic acid ranged from 288 to 715 hr. Safflower oils containing 79% to 80% oleic acid and only 11% to 15% linoleic acid had induction periods ranging from 1274 to 2374 hr. No correlation between induction period and total tocopherol content was observed. However, there were indications that oils from pigmented seeds were less stable than oils from pigmentless seeds. Blending of an oil containing a high amount of linoleic acid with an oil containing a high amount of oleic acid gave a blend with an induction period intermediate between the two. However, the induction period was considerably less than the theoretical average calculated for the mixture. Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Paper No. 1389.     

Deodorization of edible oil

Deodorization is a high-temperature, high-vacuum steam-distillation process to remove volatile, odoriferous materials present in edible fats and oils. This paper reviews and discusses the effect of temperature vs time, vacuum vs stripping steam, the importance of air exclusion, heating media, and flavor reversion.     

Microwave-assisted catalytic transfer hydrogenation of safflower oil

Catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) of safflower oil was studied using aqueous ammonium formate as hydrogen donor and palladium on carbon as catalyst in a closed vessel under controlled microwave irradiation conditions. The method offered good selectivity in complete reduction of linoleic acid to monounsaturated acid with a slight increase in stearic acid compared to other reported catalytic transfer hydrogenation methods. Selectivity was achieved by using microwave-assisted CTH without employing an emulsifier or high ratios of water to oil.     

Rigid urethane foams from hydroxymethylated castor oil,safflower oil,oleic safflower oil,and polyol esters of castor acids

Castor, safflower, and oleic safflower oil derivatives with enhanced reactivity and hydroxyl group content were prepared by hydroformylation with a rhodium-triphenylphosphine catalyst, followed by hydrogenation. Rigid urethane foams prepared from these hydroxymethylated derivatives had excellent compressive strengths, closed cell contents, and dimensional stability. Best properties were obtained from hydroxymethylated polyol esters of castor acids.     

Pilot-plant production,tempering, and evaluation of global edible spreads from vegetable oils

Summary Global spread of improved plasticity characteristics has now been produced on a pilot-plant scale. Chilling equipment similar to that used in margarine production was slightly modified; and because of the scale of operation, throughput was reduced to one-fifth the rated capacity. Global spread produced by the formulation previously described suffered the defect of becoming progressively firmer when stored, consequently both the “mouth feel” and general acceptability were impaired. This deficiency was largely overcome by tempering at 112°F. (44°C.) for 24hrs. in the presence of 0.2% oil-free soybean phosphatides which softens the spread and slows the hardening process which occurs during prolonged storage at elevated temperatures. Spreads currently being produced compare favorably with commercial margarines in general acceptability when evaluated at room temperature and are superior in plasticity characteristics when compared at low and high temperatures. Presented at the American Oil Chemists' Society meeting, Chicago, Ill., Nov. 2–4, 1953. One of the Branches of the Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture. The mention of firm names or trade products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the Department of Agriculture over other firms or similar products not mentioned.     

Diels-Alder adducts from safflower oil fatty acids

Methyl esters of alkali-isomerized safflower oil fatty acids after elaidinization with sulfur were treated with styrene in the presence of hydroquinone, with or without solvents. A combination of column chromatography and gas liquid chromatography techniques was employed for the estimation of the methyl esters of unreacted fatty acids, Diels-Alder adduct and polymers in the reaction products. Maximum yield of the Diels-Alder adduct (26.6%) was obtained when the elaidinized methyl esters of the fatty acids were treated with 1.5 moles of styrene per mole of linoleic acid in safflower oil fatty acids at 200–210 C for 6 hr. The methyl ester of the adduct was isolated in about 90% purity from the reaction product by vacuum distillation followed by solvent fractionation. The butyl ester of the adduct and the epoxy derivative of the methyl ester adduct were prepared and characterized.     

Some chemical processes utilizing oleic safflower oil

Oleic safflower seed (UC-1) produces an oil containing approximately 80% oleic acid and 12% linoleic acid. The oil is a source of high quality oleic acid, and fatty acids from the oil may be used without further separation in some applications where technical oleic acid is now used, since oleic safflower free fatty acids have a a higher oleic acid content than good commercial grades of oleic acid. A high purity oleic acid can be produced by urea fractionation. Ozonization of the oil followed by reductive cleavage yields pelargonaldehyde and nearly colorless aldehyde oils. Ozonization of a crude mixture of oleic safflower acids followed by oxidative cleavage provides high yields of azelaic acid and pelargonic acid. In contrast, ozonization of free fatty acids from polyunsaturated vegetable oils produces azelaic acid and mixtures of lower molecular weight carboxylic acids with smaller amounts of pelargonic acid. Furtherore, ozone consumption is lower and reaction time is shorter when oleic safflower acids are used in place of more highly unsaturated fatty acids.     

Physical refining of edible oil

Physical refining of edible oils has received renewed interest since the early 1970s when the process was reintroduced on a large scale to refine palm oil in Malaysia. Subsequent laboratory and field tests have also shown that physical refining can be used as a substitute for caustic or chemical refining, not only for high free fatty acid (FFA) oils such as palm, but also on low FFA oils such as soybean oil. In either case, the physical refining system results in lower oil loss than chemical refining and also eliminates pollution problems associated with soapstock acidulation. In physical refining, however, the oil pretreatment and efficiency of the distillation are two very important factors that must be considered to guarantee continuous production of high quality products. This paper reviews the physical refining system as it is today and how it can be used on two different edible oils. An actual case study showing the effects of the pretreatment in a commercial operation is also presented. Presented at the 73rd AOCS annual meeting, Toronto, 1982.     

Cost of producing linoleic acid from safflower oil

Linoleic acid of 97% purity can be made from safflower oil by liquid-liquid extraction at a “cost to make” of about 21 cents a 1b. Calculations for the cost estimate were based on pilot-plant investigations. Fixed capital investment for a plant with an annual capacity of 20 million 1b has been estimated at approximately $1,800,000. Such a plant could be converted readily to the production of a variety of other fatty acids. A laboratory of the No. Utiliz. Res. & Dev. Div. ARS, U.S.D.A.     

Catalytic isomerization of safflower oil with rhodium complexes

Cationic rhodium (I) complexes of the type [(NBD)RhL₂]⁺ ClO₄ ⁻ (NBD, norbornadiene; L, triphenyl phosphine or diphenyl phosphino ethane) have been studied as catalysts for the isomerization of methyl linoleate and safflower oil. The catalysts gave very good yields of conjugated products with both oil and methyl linoleate. Isomerization could be carried out under very mild conditions (55–65 C, 1 atm N₂). Although the catalyst undergoes transformation in the course of the reaction, it maintains its catalytic activity. In fact, the catalysts isolated from the reaction with safflower oil were recycled with practically no loss of activity.     

Preparation of conjugated linoleic acid from safflower oil

Synthetically prepared mixtures of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) are widely used in animal and cell culture studies to investigate the potential effects of the Δ9c, 11t-18:2 isomer found in food products from ruminant animals. Alkali isomerization of linoleic acid is a common method used in the synthesis of a mixture of CLA isomers containing predominantly the Δ9c, 11t-18:2 and Δ10t, 12c-18:2 isomers. Some biological activity might also be mediated by the Δ10t, 12c-18:2 isomer. Currently few published methodologies exist describing procedures for the enrichment of these two isomers. A method is described herein to take advantage of an inexpensive oil, safflower oil, for use in synthesis of CLA and a procedure to enrich the Δ10t, 12c-18:2 isomer.     

Linoleic acid from safflower oil by liquid-liquid extraction

Summary Tests conducted on a pilot-plant scale have demonstrated that linoleic acid of about 95% purity may be produced from safflower fatty acids containing about 75% linoleic acid, by a liquid-liquid extraction process. Furfural was employed as the selective solvent, hexane as a secondary solvent, and the fractionation was made in a Podbielniak “double-pup” centrifugal extractor. Best results were obtained when the proc This is a laboratory of the Northern Utilization Research and Development Division, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture.     

High-oleic safflower oil. Stability and chemical modification

High-oleic acid safflower oil has been shown to have high-temperature oxidative stability comparable with that of hydrogenated vegetable oils. This stability, added to the ease of handling at low temperatures, should make the oil attractive as a commercial cooking oil. Epoxidation of the new safflower oil led to a product similar to epoxidized olive oil but lighter in color.     

Oil-solids separation in edible oil processing

Sedimentation, centrifugation and filtration are the methods used in the edible oil industry to separate oils and solids. In many instances, the choice of separation method is based more on economics than technical reasons because more than one method of separation accomplishes the desired end result. Increasing manufacturing costs have brought about the development of automated filtration systems so that only one operator is needed for a battery of filters. Centrifuges are being used in applications formerly reserved only for filters and new processes have been developed that make former batch separation processes continuous. These developments have had the goal of maintaining separating efficiencies while reducing costs and increasing sanitation.     

Quality control in edible oil processing

This paper describes a Q.C. program for the manufacture of edible products from crude degummed oil. Tests done at various stages in the production are discussed, including test methods used and what is considered as acceptable results. Processes covered include receiving oil, alkali refining, bleaching, hydrogenation, deodorization, bulk shipping and packaged finished product.