A PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF KERNELS FROM NSFH-36 VARIETY OF SUNFLOWER SEEDS (HELIANTHUS ANNUS L) FOR CONFECTIONERY PURPOSE IN FOOD INDUSTRY

摘要

Sunflower seeds are the gift of the beautiful sunflower, a plant with rays of petals emanating from its bright yellow, seed-studded center. Presence of fairly high proportion of hull in sunflower seed reduces oil recovery and yield meal of no use during mechanical expression of sunflower seed. While this meal is containing 36% protein and could be used for various protein enriched food products preparation at lower cost. Sunflower kernels have a mild nutty taste and firm, but tender texture. In the health conscious world of today, nutrition helps in selling new food products prepared from novel protein sources and sunflower is one such potential protein supplement for human diet, mainly due to its superior nutritional quality absence of anti-nutritional factor. If hull could be removed prior to extraction, good quality oil could be produced. Besides, meal could be utilized for edible purpose. Popularizing sunflower kernel in the diet can help combating protein-calorie malnutrition in the children to a certain extent. Roasted seeds such as peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts etc are few popular snack foods but are costly; hence a need exists to find out cheaper substitutes. When considered in aggregate, the amazing sunflower kernel adds a nutritional wallop to a wide array of products. Therefore, the present work is an attempt to develop a process with required equipment and machinery to produce sunflower kernels. The whole kernel could be used for the preparation sunflower kernel snack food and remaining brokens could be utilized for the preparation of various confectionery items such as sunflower caramel, sunflower-sesame confection (chikki), sunflower sweat meat, etc. Besides, if hull could be removed prior to extraction, refining cost would be lower and good quality oil could be produced at reduced processing cost. Extraction of oil using dehulled seed may also reduce the volume of solvent being used for extraction of oil. This may benefit oil industry to tune of million of rupees.