Impact of ultrasound on oil yield and content of functional food ingredients at the oil extraction from sunflower

In this study, the effect of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) on oil yield and content of functional food ingredients of hulled and non-hulled sunflower is discussed and compared with conventional extraction methods. The optimum extraction parameters for UAE were as follows: n-hexane as extracting solvent, average particle size 250 ± 12 µm, extraction time 2 h, solid-to-solvent ratio 1:12, ultrasound frequency 24 kHz and temperature 50°C. Furthermore, the chromatograph showed that sunflower oil extracted by the UAE was rich in α-Linolenic acid (ω-3). In addition, a marginal reduction in peroxide values and tocopherols were determined.