ASEAN Food Journal 15 (1):Studies

97-100on(2008)
the Production of Defatted Sunflower Meal with Low Polyphenol and Phytate Contents 97

Technical Paper
Studies on the Production of Defatted Sunflower Meal with Low
Polyphenol and Phytate Contents and its Nutritional Profile

*Gandhi, A. P, Jha, K. and Gupta, V.

Soybean Processing and Utilization Center

Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering
Bhopal-462038 (MP), India

Abstract: A simple process was developed for making low poly phenol and phytate sunflower
meal. This meal contains 58% proteins, 0.2% phytates and 0.3% poly phenols. This meal may be
used directly for food fortification to enrich the nutritional profile of traditional diets and also a
feeding stock for protein isolation.

Keywords: Defatted sunflower meal, poly phenols, phytates, minerals

INTRODUCTION amounts of phenoloic compounds especially

chlorogenic, quimic and caffeic acids. They
Sunflower (Helianthus annus L) is an complex with proteins, cause discoloration of
important oilseed and in India, about 1.85 the protein isolates and lower the nutritional
million metric tons was produced in 2005. The value due to their interaction with amino acids
protein content of sunflower cake ranges from (Smith and Jhonsen, 1948). Many methods
20-40% and in view of its economic such as irradiation of seeds, heat-moisture
significance and non-availability of sufficient treatments, and solvent exposure have been
animal protein, there is a great scope for proposed earlier to remove these phenolic
utilization of oil cake proteins for human compounds and phytates but their
consumption. The meal is a valuable source effectiveness at removal was very minimal due
of protein. There are no toxic constituents and to the strong hydrogen bonding between
anti nutritional factors in sunflower meal hydroxy groups of phenolic compounds and
(Theertha, 1990). Therefore, the defatted the peptide bonds (Samanthaka and
sunflower meal has been considered as a Subramanian, 1985). Hence the objectives of
potential source of vegetable protein for this study were to develop simple methods for
human consumption. The bland flavor, light reducing the polyphenols and phytates from
color and absence of antinutritional or sunflower cake and evaluate its nutritional
allergenic compounds has prompted the profile.
utilization of the oil cake for human
consumption (Diaa El - Din and Farag, 1999) MATERIALS AND METHODS
which is otherwise traditionally used as an
animal feed. Sunflower proteins contain Seed
adequate levels of essential amino acids. Commercial variety of sunflower was procured
However, sunflower seeds also contain large from the local market. It was cleaned, graded
and dehulled manually.
*
Corresponding author.
E-mail: apg@ciae.res.in

ASEAN Food Journal Vol. 15, 97-100

98 Gandhi, A. P., Jha, K. and Gupta, V.

60-mesh sieve (BSS). Extraction with water

Preparation of Defatted Sunflower Meal (pH 6.0) was carried out at 70oC with meal to
The dehulled seeds were flaked to 0.3 mm solvent ratio of 1:10 (w/v). For each, the
thickness using a three roller flaking machine extraction was done five times and for 1 hr. The
and later the solvent was extracted using food extract was removed by filtration and the
grade n-hexane. The oil-extracted flour was residue was dried in air current at 35 oC,
dried at room temperature for 24 h and finally defatted with hexane, powdered and passed
dried to remove the traces of solvent through through 60-mesh sieve. To study the effect of
vacuum drying at 60oC. This flour was used pH on the extractability of protein and phytate,
for all the experiments. the meal or the solvent cake was mixed with
water (1:50 w/v) and stirred at low speed for
30 min. The desired pH was maintained with
Physico Chemical Composition and Nutritional 0.5N HCl or NaOH and centrifuged. The
Analyses phytate content was determined in the
The seeds were analyzed for moisture content, supernatant. The defatted sunflower meal was
crude protein, crude fat, fiber, ash, minerals later mixed with NaHCO3, Ca(OH)2, NaCl,
(Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, P, Ca and Mg), and poly acetone, HCl, distilled water, ethanol,
phenols using AOAC (1990) methods. The methanol and sodium sulphite at a meal to
phytate was evaluated using the procedure solvent ratio of 1:50 (w/v) and shaken for 24
suggested by Latta and Eskin (1980). It is a hrs at low speed with a mechanical shaker. The
simple and rapid colorimetric method which extraction was repeated until the supernatant
comprises of passing the sample through an resulted in a negative test for poly phenols.
anion exchange resin and eluting with 0.7 M
NaCl. The phytate content in the eluent was RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
determined by reaction with Wade reagent and
read at 500 nm. Data on chemical composition, physical
characteristics and minerals present in whole
Treatments Heat sunflower kernels are shown in Table 1. The
Sunflower flour was suspended in SS trays to a crude protein and fat contents were 21% and
0.5 mm thickness, covered to minimize 56% respectively, and crude fiber was 16%.
moistening with condensed steam and Among the minerals, phosphorus content was
autoclaved at one kg cm-2 (120oC) for 60 min the highest with 844 mg (100g)-1 kernels. The
and then air dried to uniform moisture levels. proximate composition of defatted sunflower
Similarly the meal was directly dried under meal is presented in Table 2. The data indicate
vacuum at 60oC for one hour. The targeted that the meal contains 57.4% protein with
moisture was less than 10%. The samples were phytates and poly phenols being 1.2% and
ground to pass through 65-mesh screen before 4.27% respectively. Different methods of
analysis. processing were adopted to lower the poly
phenols in the sunflower meal. The results are
Solvents shown in Table 3.
A solution having 40% acetone, methanol or The results show that maximum reduction
ethanol in water at a meal to solvent ratio of of poly phenols was attained with aqueous
1:10 (w/v) was prepared and shaken for 2 h. acetone followed by 0.5M HCl treatments.
The extraction was done at room temperature These results were better than the reported
and repeated until the supernatant showed a values of Sripad and Narasinga (1987).
negative test for cholorogenic acid. The slurry Similarly studies were conducted to lower the
was filtered under suction, dried in a current phytate levels through pH shocks. The data in
of air at 35oC, powdered and passed through Table 4 shows that the maximum reduction

ASEAN Food Journal Vol. 15, 97-100

 Studies on the Production of Defatted Sunflower Meal with Low Polyphenol and Phytate Contents 99

Table 1 Table 3
Physicochemical characteristics Polyphenols in sunflower meal after processing
of sunflower seeds
Treatment mg (100g)-1
Characters Values
Control 4270
Crude Protein, % 21.0 Absolute ethanol 530
Crude Fat, % 56.0 Sodium sulphite, 1% 220
Crude Fiber, % 16.0 Deionized water 1740
Ash, % 3.0 Sodium bicarbonate, 0.5% 2594
Moisture content (wb), % 7.0 Sodium chloride, 5% 1995
1000 grain weight 31.4 Calcium hydroxide, 1% 2905
Bulkdensity, m3 0.61 Methanol 445
Kernel, % 75.3 Acetone aqueous 40
Hulls, % 24.7 Hydrochloric acid, 0.5M 50
Size, mm Dry heating 150
Width 4.7 Autoclaving 100
Length 9.2
Thickness 3.1
Minerals.mg (100g)-1
Calcium 50.0 Table 4
Magnesium 48.0 Levels of phytates in sunflower meal after
Phosphorus 844.0 washing with water of various pH
Zinc 0.04
Manganese 0.14 Treatment (pH) mg/100g
Iron 0.16
Copper 0.02 Control 1200.00
Potassium 0.4 pH 2.0 0.97
pH 2.5 0.94
pH 3.0 0.80
Table 2 pH 3.5 0.66
Proximate composition of sunflower meal pH 4.0 0.43
pH 4.5 0.23
Constituents Values (%) pH 5.0 0.09
pH 5.5 0.09
Crude Protein 57.4 pH 6.0 0.66
Crude Fat 0.8
Crude Fiber 21.0
Ash 6.4
Phytates 1.2 Table 5
Polyphenols 4.27 Composition of sunflower meal after lowering
poly phenols and phytates

Constituents Values (%)

was achieved at pH 5.0 - 5.5. The results concur Crude Protein 58.0
with those of Bulmaga et al. (1989). The Crude Fat 0.7
sunflower meal with the optimized treatments Crude Fiber 18.0
was analyzed for its proximate composition, Ash 7.6
phytates and poly phenols. The results as Phytates 0.2
shown in Table 5 reveal that the meal contains Polyphenols 0.3

ASEAN Food Journal Vol. 15, 97-100

100 Gandhi, A. P., Jha, K. and Gupta, V.

58% crude protein, and 0.7% crude fat. The determination. Journal of Agriculture and
residual poly phenols and phytates were 0.3 Food Chemistry, 28:1313-1315.
and 0.2% respectively.
Smith, A.K. and Jhonsen and Vernon, L. 1948.
Sunflower seed protein. Cereal Chemistry, 25:
CONCLUSION 399-406.

A simple process was developed for making Sripad, G. and Narasinga, R.M.S. 1987. Effects of
defatted sunflower meal with low profile methods to remove polyphenols from
phytates and poly phenols. This meal can be sunflower meal on the physicochemical
safely used for human consumption as well for properties of the proteins. Journal of
value addition like protein isolation without Agriculture and Food Chemistry, 35(6): 962-
discoloration of the proteins. 967.

Theertha, P.D. 1990. Proteins of the phenolic

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Diaa El-Din, M. and Farag, H. 1999. Effect of

radiation and other processes methods on
protein quality of sunflower meal. Journal of
the Science of Food and Agriculture, 79: 1565-
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Latta, M. and Eskin, M.A. 1980. A simple and rapid
colorimetric method for phytate

ASEAN Food Journal Vol. 15, 97-100