Analysis of the volatile fraction from sunflower oil extracted under pressure

This study concerns the analysis of volatile components that may contribute to the formation of the flavor of the oil extracted from sunflower seeds. The compounds were trapped on a charcoal cartridge, then desorbed and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The principal compounds were terpenes (about 225 mg/L) consisting of α‐pinene (80%), limonene (5%), sabinene (3.3%), β‐pinene (1.8%), 1,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1,3‐cyclohexadiene (1.5%), and camphene (1.2%). There were also a small amount of hexanal (1.3%) and traces (<1%) of unidentified compounds, which probably correspond to other terpenic hydrocarbons and to terpenic alcohols and/or aldehydes.