Safflower seed oil introduction

Safflower seed oil

Safflower seed oil, also known as safflower oil, is an oil extracted from safflower seed at low temperature. Safflower seed oil is yellow. The fatty acid composition of standard safflower seed oil is 5-9% palmitic acid, 1-4.9% stearic acid, 11-15% oleic acid, 69-79% linoleic acid, and an iodine value of 140. Around, it is a dry oil. Oleic acid safflower seed oil is mainly composed of oleic acid, accounting for about 60%, linoleic acid is 25%, and the iodine value is about 105. It is a semi-dry oil. The oil contains vitamin E, oryzanol, sterol and other nutrients, which can prevent arteriosclerosis and lower blood cholesterol. It can be blended with other edible oils into "healthy oil" and "nutrition oil", or it can be used to make linoleic acid pills and other health care drugs The best raw materials. Refined safflower seed oil can be taken orally directly, and safflower seed oil can also be used for frying, frying, and stir-frying. It should be noted that the temperature should not exceed 255℃ and the heating time should not be too long. It is best to heat the food together with the oil to avoid localized oil. overheat. Industrially, it is mainly used as a raw material for paint and added to dairy cow feed to increase the linoleic acid content of milk.

 Historical records

　　 Regarding the special function of safflower, there are many records in Chinese historical records since ancient times.

　　 As early as the pre-Qin period, safflower was recorded in the "Shan Hai Jing" as an ancient western medicine. In 659 AD, the 4th year of Xianqing in the Tang Dynasty, the "Xinxiu Materia Medica" compiled by Su Jing and others, and the "Kaibao Materia Medica" compiled by Ma Zhi and others in the 6th year of Kaibao in the Song Dynasty, namely 973 AD, all recorded the red flowers in detail. The nature, flavor, function and indications. In the Ming Dynasty, the Compendium of Materia Medica by Li Shizhen, a famous doctor, also had this record: "Safflower comes from the Western Regions, it is sweet and non-toxic, and its seed function is the same as that of a flower. It can pass the blood of men, pass the menstrual water of women, and pass blood in many cases. Little is nourishing blood." Safflower seed oil has a long history in China. Ming Li Shizhen’s "Compendium of Materia Medica" contains: "Safflower seeds are washed out, mashed and fried in vinegar and mixed with vegetables are very delicious. Cars, boats and candles".

　　 In the 1930s, safflower seeds were cultivated as oil crops in Dunhuang County, Gansu Province, and the oil was made by the soil method. The oil content and oil yield were both low. In the middle of the 20th century, the United States successfully cultivated safflower seeds for oil, and the oil content increased from 26% of ordinary safflower seeds to 36%. Since then, varieties with higher oil content have been continuously cultivated. In 1979, Xinjiang introduced a large number of safflower for oil and established a production base for safflower seed oil.

　　 Tianshan safflower, also called grass safflower, is native to Egypt, but it has a long history of cultivation in Pakistan and India. Saffron is also called saffron or saffron, its scientific name is Crocussativus. It is a plant of the Iridaceae family. It is native to Spain. In Iran, Saudi Arabia and other countries, the medicinal part is the stigma. In foreign countries, saffron was only cultivated as a dye at first, and it was later realized that it is a precious medicinal material for promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis and relieving pain. It is commonly used in medicine to treat amenorrhea, chest and abdomen and flank pain caused by blood stasis, and it can also treat traumatic carbuncle, especially its function of nourishing blood has long been known around the world. Because of this, saffron was as early as the Ming Dynasty. It has already been introduced to China, and it is listed as a medicine in the "Compendium of Materia Medica". In terms of blood nourishing function, saffron is better than safflower.

　　 saffron and saffron are only one word difference, so they are often mistaken for different names in concept. Many people still regard the saffron that has been introduced and cultivated in Tibet as saffron. In fact, these are two completely different plants, this safflower is not the other "safflower". Safflower is an annual herb of the Compositae family belonging to the Dicotyledon class. Each tubular flower in the flower head is orange-red. Saffron is a perennial herb of the Iridaceae family belonging to the class of monocotyledons. It has bulbs and blue-purple or purple-red flowers. Although they have similar functions in promoting blood circulation and dredging collaterals, they exist in system evolution, morphological development and other uses. A big difference.

Tibet does not produce saffron, so why is saffron named after the word "Tibet"? Because this medicinal material was introduced to Tibet from the Mediterranean coast through India, and then transferred to the inland via Tibet, so people call it saffron .

　　 The most intuitive feature, minus -23 to 27 degrees crystal.

　　 China Red Flower

　　 Cultivation

　　 Regarding the planting history of safflower in China, the "Shan Hai Jing" also records. The Jin Dynasty Zhang Hua's "Natural History" stated that "the seeds were introduced by Zhang Qian's envoy to the Western Regions" and developed from Chang'an to various places for planting.

Due to various historical, cognitive, and technical reasons, the medical value of safflower silk has been widely used since ancient times. However, safflower seeds have not been effectively solved for a long time due to the hulling technology, and manual hulling is time-consuming and laborious, resulting in red The special function of flower seeds is unknown. It was not until the advent of powerful oil presses that safflower was cultivated as a new oil crop.

China has become one of the main safflower producing areas in the world. It is planted in Xinjiang, Yunnan, Henan, Sichuan and other places. The total output accounts for more than 80% of the world. The research on safflower planting technology is also in a leading position in the world. . In 1993, the third annual meeting of the International Safflower Conference was held in Beijing. Professor Wang Zhaomu of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences served as the vice chairman of the annual meeting. The International Safflower Conference is an international safflower professional academic conference initiated by safflower researchers from 49 countries and regions. It aims to promote the overall technical research and industrial application of safflower, and strengthen the technical exchanges of safflower research around the world. Professor Li Dajue of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences is the co-chairman of the World Safflower Conference.

Safflower is a plant that loves sunlight and has strong resistance to salt and alkali, drought resistance and adaptability. Xinjiang’s unique geographical environment just provides a good environment for the growth of safflower, and it has also achieved Xinjiang's status as the main safflower production area in China. Its planting area accounts for more than 90% of the country. Thanks to the unique safflower product resources, China's first real safflower seed oil product was born in Xinjiang.

　　 Xinjiang safflower

The traditional high-quality planting base of Xinjiang safflower is the Ta'e Basin in northwestern Xinjiang, especially the Yumin located in the core area of the basin. The unrepeatable climatic environment and soil conditions have created the well-known "Yumin no thornless safflower". Its planting history is thousands of years.

Yumin County is located in the northwestern border of the motherland, in the hinterland of Eurasia, with a land area of 6220 square kilometers. The geographical coordinates are 82.1-83.25 degrees east longitude, 46.24-46.30 degrees north latitude, and the altitude is between 390 meters and 3252 meters. It belongs to the middle temperate zone. Continental climate. In summer, there is sufficient sunshine, strong solar radiation, abundant heat, large temperature difference between day and night, low air humidity, and dry climate. This unique "extreme climate condition" is easily suitable for the growth of safflower, even in the desert near the affluent people, it is still today You can see wild red flowers.

　　 Yumin County is the core production area of safflower in the Tag'e Basin. The planting area accounts for about 90%, close to 500,000 mu, and the output of safflower seeds accounts for more than 85%. After continuous selection of seeds, Yumin's thornless safflower emerged as a new variety that produces high-quality safflower seeds.

  National standard

　　 The National Standard for Safflower Seed Oil was officially released and implemented on January 20, 2009

　　 An embarrassing reality is that although there are not many safflower seed oils on the market, there are many mixed ones, and it is difficult to tell the authenticity. Many products called safflower seed oil are actually based on other oils, and they are shoddy by blending part of safflower seed oil. Really high-quality safflower seed oil cannot have the same or close price as other oils. This is directly determined by limited raw materials and production costs." Even though some products are labeled as "100% pure safflower seed oil," The product indicators, especially the content of linoleic acid, are not even up to the 67.8% minimum standard stipulated in the "National Standard for Safflower Seed Oil" (GB/T 22465-2008) promulgated and implemented by the country on January 20, 2009.

　　 In other words, even if it is "pure 100%" safflower seed oil, if the product index is lower than the national standard, it cannot even be called safflower seed oil. What makes people laugh and cry is that when many so-called safflower seed oil sales companies on the Internet introduced the "World Safflower Conference", their English standard abbreviated as ISC was rumored to be TISC, and almost all of them were wrong! The reason is, In addition to impetuousness, the reason that can be guessed is that the English name of the "Third World Safflower Conference" held in Beijing is taken for granted as the "International Safflower Conference." Through this erroneously consistent "renaming" incident, it also cited the chaos of the market from the side.

　　 With the introduction of the "national standard" of safflower seed oil, this chaotic market situation will be directly and effectively curbed, and the market will be reshuffled and the fittest will survive.

　　Scientific consumption

　　 It needs to be clearly pointed out that under the premise of meeting the food quality level, there is no strict concept of "good oil" or "bad oil". In fact, different oils have different nutritional supply or other effects on the human body due to different special ingredients. In this sense, there are only "good oils" and "bad oils" in the relative sense. Isn't that a combination of oils with different nutritional functions or effects (this is the fundamental appeal of blended oils) put together to achieve a balanced nutrition or efficacy? It is far from simple as an addition. Common sense tells us that only a certain amount of any nutrient can have a relevant effect, and more is a waste. On the contrary, if the minimum intake is not reached, the daily reconciliation will be useless. Therefore, the scientific method of edible oil consumption is to "use in combination, with a target." I would rather use a single variety of oil instead of "mixed oil." The blended oil is not so much a new concept as it is a commercial trick. Interested friends can consult a nutrition expert who is close to you or you know, this is not a problem.

　　 For safflower seed oil, its fundamental properties are high content of "linoleic acid" and high vitamin E content.

　　 Linoleic acid itself does not have any nutritional function for the human body. However, the function of linoleic acid to dissolve cholesterol can bring benefits to the human body. It has the effects of lowering blood lipids, removing deposits on the inner wall of blood vessels and lowering blood pressure, and the effect is obvious. For people who do not have the three highs (hypertension, high blood fat, high blood sugar), there is little value. However, with regard to the dietary structure of Chinese people, the "three highs" caused by overnutrition have become a common phenomenon. From the perspective of prevention In terms of long-term consumption of safflower seed oil, its significance is self-evident. As far as edible oil is concerned, the natural aroma of safflower seed oil is also a good cooking oil.

　　 As for vitamin E, as a natural antioxidant, it plays an important role in human cell division and delaying aging. The key problem is that the vitamin E in safflower seed oil is not only high in content, but its strong permeability also makes the vitamin E in safflower seed oil easily absorbed by the body. If you are interested, you can apply safflower seed oil to the back of your hand at the same time as any other oil, and you will find that safflower seed oil can be basically absorbed by the skin in 15-20 minutes, while other oils are not so fast. This can also be a simple and effective way to identify genuine high-quality safflower seed oil.

  Health effects

　　 Safflower seed oil can be taken orally, and has a health care effect that cannot be replaced by drugs for the "three high" people. In fact, the safflower seed oil capsules sold on the market are encapsulated high-quality safflower seed oil, which is used as a special supplementary health product for cardiovascular, hypertension and other diseases. Now some health products add safflower seed oil as a medium to make it easier for the body to absorb.

  Nutrients

　　 Linoleic acid

The content of linoleic acid in safflower seed oil is ≥67.8% (the lowest national standard). The content of linoleic acid in safflower seed oil is the highest in known plants, so it is known as the "king of linoleic acid".

　　 The human body's life activities need eight life base materials, which include protein, water, minerals, vitamins, sugar, fat, cellulose and unsaturated fatty acids. Some of the unsaturated fatty acids cannot be synthesized by humans and must be absorbed from food, called essential unsaturated fatty acids. Three types of unsaturated fatty acids are very important, namely linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid.

　　As long as the human body does not lack linoleic acid, the other two essential unsaturated fatty acids can be synthesized in the body. Therefore, linoleic acid is the most important unsaturated fatty acid in the human body and the basic substance of life.

　　The human body cannot synthesize linoleic acid by itself, so it must be taken from the diet.

　　 effect

　　 Linoleic acid is a component of cells, especially involved in the synthesis of mitochondria and cell membrane phosphorus. The lack of linoleic acid may lead to swelling of mitochondria, changes in cell membrane structure and function, and increased membrane permeability and fragility.

　　 Linoleic acid is closely related to lipid metabolism. Cholesterol in the body must be combined with fatty acids to be transferred in the body for normal metabolism. After the lack of linoleic acid, cholesterol transfer is blocked and cannot be metabolized normally, it will be deposited in the body and eventually cause disease.

　　Linoleic acid is a prerequisite for the synthesis of prostaglandin. If the body lacks linoleic acid, the ability of tissues to form prostaglandin will decrease. Linoleic acid also has a protective effect on some skin damage caused by X-rays.

　　 Safflower seed oil can not only prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, but also has a peculiar effect in curing fatty liver.

　　 Another function of linoleic acid is the raw material that composes cell membrane. The material that composes the cell membrane is unsaturated fatty acid. Linoleic acid has the function of strengthening metabolism and enhancing cell vitality.

　　 Vitamin E

　　 Safflower seed oil is rich in natural vitamin E, with an average content of about 800mgDL, which is the highest content of all plants. Therefore, safflower is known as the "Crown of Vitamin E". The vitamin E in safflower seed oil is a natural vitamin E with life activity.

　　Vitamin E is a strong reducing agent with strong antioxidant effect. It also has anti-aging effects, rejuvenating aging and aging cells and tissues. Vitamin E is a nutrient that can improve human immunity, eliminate free radicals and prevent cancer.

　　How to eat

　　 Oral safflower seed oil: refined safflower seed oil can be taken orally directly. Clinical studies at home and abroad have shown that if every person consumes 60ml of safflower seed oil a day, cholesterol will drop by more than 10% after one week. After a course of treatment for 3 months, blood lipids remain stable.

　　 Prepare safflower seed oil: beat an egg and add 20ml of safflower seed oil, add a tablespoon of honey, and take it with boiling water, once a day. It can detoxify, reduce fat, and nourish the skin; take 20ml of safflower seed oil and 30g of chickpea powder, mix well and make up with boiling water, once a day. It is a good nutritional product for patients with hyperlipidemia and diabetes.

　　Cold food safflower seed oil: Safflower seed oil is light and tasteless, clear and transparent, and can be used as vegetable oil for cold salads.

　　Hot food safflower seed oil: suitable for frying, deep-frying, and hot-frying. The temperature should not exceed 255℃, and the heating time should not be too long. It is best to heat the food together with the oil to avoid local overheating of the oil.　　Special reminder: When healthy people eat, the amount of safflower seed oil should be reduced according to personal circumstances.

　　 safflower varieties

　　 there are no thorns

　　 Generally speaking, thorny safflower and thornless safflower are just the difference in growth morphology. The safflower (silk) picking method caused by this difference has a greater impact on the subsequent growth of safflower seeds. Because the stems and leaves of the thorny safflower grow with thorns, it is extremely difficult to pick safflower (silk) manually. During the 2 months that safflower and safflower seeds grow together, the growth of safflower seeds is particularly Fruit saturation is affected by the co-growth of safflower (silk)