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.