Turkey is the country preferred by many countries for import due to its geographical location. Being the connection point between Europe and Asia, Turkey has become the center of trade. With the Covid-19 outbreak, production decreased and consumption increased. Due to the small population of Turkey, the restrictions did not last long. Many factories, including sunflower oil, did not stop the production line. The need for sunflower oil both in Turkey and in the world was supplied from Turkey.
Turkish Sunflower Oil Manufacturers
Sunflower oil producers are very high in Turkey. It is very difficult to produce sunflower oil. For the production of sunflower oil, it is necessary to produce sunflower oil first. After the sunflower oil planted in the ground is harvested, it enters the factory for processing. Crude sunflower oil enters the factory to be refined. Both physical and chemical refining processes are applied in these oils. These processes are listed as degumming, neutralization, dewaxing and winterization, bleaching and deodorization, respectively.
SUNFLOWER OIL FACTORIES IN TURKEY
In the first place is the degumming process. With this process, the hydration of the oil is done first. In the neutralization stage, the free fatty acids in the crude oil are saponified and removed with sodium hydroxide dexterity. Sunflower oil contains wax molecules that are insoluble at room temperature, and these molecules precipitate in the oil and cause turbidity. In order to eliminate this, it is passed through dewaxing and winterization stages.
The use of sunflower oil dates back to the North Americans 300-400 years ago. It is estimated that the sunflower came to Europe through the Spaniards. The Spaniards brought the oil to Italy, Germany and France. Although these countries are familiar with the plant, Russia leads the world in sunflower oil production today. This is followed by the European Union countries in the second place. Two other important producers are Argentina and Ukraine. According to the estimates, 11.5 million tons (2008/2009) sunflower oil is produced in the world.
To obtain sunflower oil, the seeds of the mature plant are taken first. These seeds are then peeled and ground. After these processes, the cold pressing method, which is a form of obtaining oil from many vegetable oils, is used. Here, oil is obtained from the peeled and ground kernels. In addition, the hot pressing method is generally used in large factories. Only where this method is used, the oil is subjected to an extra purification process to clean it from unwanted particles.
Produced oils are stored before being put on sale. During this process, it is necessary to pay attention to some conditions. Vegetable oils should generally be stored at temperatures below 20 °C and away from direct sunlight. When these conditions are met, sunflower oil can be stored for a maximum of 12 months without deterioration.
