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This study evaluated the structural changes in hemicellulose and cellulose from sunflower seeds before and after roasting at 160°C, 190°C, and 220°C. Sugar composition, molecular weight, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, thermogravimetric, and NMR analyses were utilized to determine the structural properties of these polysaccharides and detect the volatile compounds. The results showed that roasting destroyed the microstructure of these hemicelluloses and cellulose. Glucose and arabinose of hemicellulose were more easily degraded than other sugars during roasting. The galacturonic acid content increased from 7.8% to 46.66% after roasting. The hemicellulose obtained at 220°C had a backbone of D‐xylose residues with a β‐(1→4)‐linkage. The molecular weight of cellulosic polysaccharides decreased with the increase of roasting temperature. The crystallinity increased from 28.92% to 31.86% revealing that mainly the amorphous regions of cellulosic polysaccharides were destroyed by roasting. After roasting, the volatile compounds of these polysaccharides were rich in furfural, which was produced by caramelization and the Maillard reaction, contributing to the characteristic aroma of roasted sunflower seeds. This study provides some information on the relationship between structural changes of polysaccharides and the formation of flavor during roasting sunflower seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, conventional, microwave, and also a combination of these two methods were applied to compare the quality properties of sunflower seeds. Alternative to conventional roasting at 160°C, microwave roasting at two different powers (300W and 600W) and also microwave with conventional roasting treatment (300 W+160°C, 600 W+160°C) were applied to raw sunflower seeds during 5 and 10 min. for each group. The moisture content of roasted seeds was found to be lower than 6%. The results show that the highest protein and fat content were found in the group of combined methods as 21.09±6.64 and 40.55±0.345% respectively. Additionally, the color values were found to be higher, and hardness and sensory characteristics were protected better after roasting compared to the control (unroasted) group. Roasting of microwave at 600W power for 5 min at 160°C was found to be advantageous for the roasting process of sunflower seed via these properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presently, the triangular cell sunflower seed metering roller has not been evaluated in field conditions using a power tiller. This study was undertaken to evaluate its working performance in the field conditions. Randomized complete block design with three replications and three level of forward speed and a quantity of seeds in hopper was used to evaluate performance of the triangular cell sunflower seed metering roller. Performance indices namely mean spacing; miss index, multiple indexes, quality of feed index, precision index, and coefficient of variation were used to describe the performance of the triangular cell sunflower seed metering roller. Results were analysed statistically to determine the effect of forward speed, quantity of seed in the hopper and their interaction on the performance indices. Best performance was at a combination of forward speed 1.3 km h-1 and a quantity of seeds in the hopper of 2.392 kg, which gave a mean spacing of 226.16 cm, a miss index of 25%, multiple indexes of 0.43%, a quality of feed index of 97.33% and a precision index of 16.58%. Based on agronomical recommendations for sunflower planting and performance comparison with other sunflower metering device, it is concluded that triangular cell sunflower seed metering roller can perform efficiently and economically and can be adopted by the small and medium farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

旨在为挖掘油料作物增产潜力、提升油料产能、保障国内食用植物油供给安全等政策制定提供参考，通过集中度和比较优势分析，研究了1979—2019年我国5种主要油料作物（花生、油菜、向日葵、芝麻和胡麻）的时空分布变化。结果显示：1979—2019年花生种植集中度呈减小趋势，油菜和胡麻集中度升高，向日葵和芝麻集中度则先降低后升高；2019年河南、山东、广东、辽宁、河北 5省花生综合优势指数大于1，其中河南为我国花生第一生产大省，综合优势指数从0.80增加至1.93；湖南、四川、湖北、贵州、安徽5省具有稳定的油菜生产综合优势，2019年川渝地区（四川和重庆）、湖北、湖南油菜籽产量居前三位；1979—2019年内蒙古和新疆向日葵综合优势指数分别为214~3.38和1.64~3.06，且在2019年它们分别是我国葵花籽生产第一、第二大主产地；河南、湖北两省一直是我国芝麻生产核心区域，综合优势指数分别为1.50~2.13和2.17~2.39；甘肃、宁夏、山西、内蒙古具有胡麻生产综合优势，2019年甘肃、内蒙古和宁夏胡麻籽产量居前三位。综上，当前河南、川渝地区、内蒙古、甘肃分别是我国花生（和芝麻）、油菜籽、葵花籽、胡麻籽等核心油料生产区域。To provide reference for exploring the potential for increasing oil crops yield, improving oil production, and ensuring the safety of domestic food and vegetable oil supply, the temporal and spatial changes of five major oil crops (peanut, rape, sunflower, sesame and flax) from 1979 to 2019 were studied through analysis of distribution concentration and comparative advantage. The results showed that from 1979 to 2019, the distribution concentration had a decreasing trend in peanut production, but an increase trend in rape and flax, while for sunflower and sesame the distribution concentration firstly decreased and then increased. In 2019, the comprehensive advantage indexes of peanut in Henan, Shandong, Guangdong, Liaoning, Hebei exceeded 1. Among them, Henan Province was the first producer of peanut in China, with the gradually increasing comprehensive advantage indexes from 0.80 to 193. Hunan, Sichuan, Hubei, Guizhou and Anhui had stable comprehensive advantages in rape production, and of them the Sichuan-Chongqing region, Hubei and Hunan ranked in the top three in rapeseed production. In 1979-2019, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang displayed the comprehensive advantage in sunflower production with the index of 2.14-3.38 and 1.64-3.06, respectively. In 2019, they were the first and the second major sunflower seed production regions. Henan and Hubei were the two core regions of sesame production in China, with comprehensive advantage indexes ranging from 1.50 to 2.13 and 2.17 to 239, respectively. Gansu, Ningxia, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia showed comprehensive advantages in flax production, among which Gansu, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia ranked in the top three in flaxseed production in 2019. In summary, Henan, Sichuan-Chongqing, Inner Mongolia, and Gansu are currently the core oilseed production areas for peanut (and sesame seed), rapeseed, sunflower seed and flaxseed, respectively in China.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) has the potential for high added economic value to be developed. Indonesia has the opportunity to develop a sunflower agro-industry which is processed into cooking oil. There has not been much research related to the sunflower agro-industry supply chain. A plan for improvements to the supply chain cannot yet be carried out, because the situation in the supply chain has not been comprehensively elaborated. Therefore, this research aimed to analyse the situational supply chain of the sunflower agribusiness. The method used was soft system methodology developed by Checkland. This research has succeeded in designing a conceptual model that produces two human activities, namely: 1) Development of production devices for the drying process of sunflower seeds based on the Internet of Things, (2) Utilization of the Blynk application to support the decisions on the sunflower agro-industry supply chain network, and (3) Development of the prototype digital platform decision support system on the production device based on internet of things. These three activities are also recommendations given as corrective actions to increase the productivity of the sunflower agro-industry. Recommended actions have also been successfully assessed through RE3IS. Future development of this research is to build a digital prototype of an internet of thongs-based decision support system platform that can be easily accessed by sunflower agro-industry managers. The stages in this research are still limited to the recommendation stage for corrective action. The implementation stage can be used as research development in the future. Apart from that, situational analysis is still limited to upstream and intermediate supply chain networks. Therefore, situational analysis of the downstream supply chain network can be carried out in the future.

The fatty acids profile of meat can be influenced by the amount and type of the lipid supplemented in animal feeding with a modulation of the rumen biohydrogenation of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (P UFA). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the nutritional and sensory quality of bovine meat as affected by different oilseeds supplementations. Thirty two Podolian x Limousine young bulls were randomly allocated into four experimental treatments: control diet (CO) with no supplemental fat, linseed diet (LS) with a supplementation of 10% whole linseed; sunflower diet (SS) with supplementation of 10% of sunflower seeds; LS+SS diet: with supplementation of linseeds (5%) and sunflowers (5%). After finishing period (140 days), all animals were slaughtered and fatty acids profile and sensory proprieties were evaluated on meat. The results showed that dietary supplementation with linseed or/and sunflower seeds in the diet decreased the percentage of saturated fatty acids (P

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In this study, the effects of microwave (540, 720 and 900 W) and oven (120, 150 and 230°C) roasting techniques on the total phenolics, flavonoids, antioxidant capacity, polyphenolic and fatty acid results of sunflower seed and oils were investigated. Total phenol (except oven 150°C), flavonoid (except oven 120°C) contents and antioxidant activity values of sunflower seeds and oils subjected to oven and microwave heat treatment decreased compared to the control. Total phenolic, total flavonoids and antioxidant activities were higher in MRS oil than ORS oil. Individual phenolic constituent in both seed and oil samples from ORS and MRS showed significant (p < 0.05) changes to the control (non‐roasted seed and its oil). A general increase in the phenolic components of seeds and oils was observed with oven and microwave roasting compared to the control. Oleic acid values (%) of the oil extracted from seeds roasted in oven and microwave systems were recorded to be between 23.76 (120°C) and 29.41% (150°C) to 24.32 (540 W) and 26.10% (720 W), respectively. Linoleic acid values of the oils obtained from seeds roasted in oven and microwave systems varied to be between 57.01 (150°C) and 65.89% (120°C) to 60.70 (720 W) and 65.26% (540 W), respectively. As a result of the applied heat treatment, while the linoleic acid values of the oil samples decreased, an increase was observed in the palmitic, stearic and oleic acid values of the oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core theme of the current investigation is to explore the application of an IoT framework protocol based on an Arduino platform designed to optimize sunflower seed production in Uzbekistan based on the levels of air quality and soil moisture. In essence, the need is to give best actionable intelligence to farmers and the stakeholders in the agricultural sector on crop growing opportunities. The above proposed system involves the use of air quality sensors MQ-135 for instance, and soil moisture sensors. The sensors are connected to Arduino boards to collect necessary data and measurements are recorded every 30 minutes using available WiFi and Bluetooth modules for continuous monitoring. The simulation reveals air quality data of the sunflower fields of the present scenario to be an average at PM2.5 is of 75 µg/m³, which poses danger to the wellbeing of plants. It is further expected that the use of MQ-135 air quality sensors will decrease the overall average of PM2.5 to 45 µg/m³, the local authorities managed to cut emissions by 40% as part of the EU plan. At the present time, the content of the field moistures is 15 % VWC, which is not favorable for sunflower development. Soil moisture sensors for accurate irrigation control is another advance that requires soil moisture levels to rise to 25% vadium weight (VWC), up from 66. 7% improvement. Therefore, it means that the yields from the sunflower seeds are expected to rise from the current average of 1, 500Kg/ha to 1, 875 Kg/ha, which is a 25% enhancement. These results imply that IoT systems developed on the Arduino platform may be used to oversee environmental alteration and increase the agricultural crop yield by a wide margin. The possibility was identified to achieve significant outcomes in increasing sunflower seed production based on this framework when implemented on a larger scale for the benefit of Uzbek farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metabolite and flavor characteristics of roasted germinated sunflower seeds (RGSF) were evaluated and compared with those of roasted ungerminated sunflower seeds (RUSF) by gas chromatograph-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and headspace solid phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). During roasting, α-tocopherol, β-sitosterol, fructose, and glucose content were higher at 125 °C compared to those at 135 and 145 °C in RGSF, and lower reductions of alanine, glycine, phenylalanine, serine, asparagine, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content at 125 °C in RGSF. Considering their nutritional value, it is suggested that sunflower seeds are roasted at 125 °C. The dominant volatile compounds in RGSF were α-pinene, furfural, pyrazines, 1-octen-3-ol, and 2-methylbutanal. High-temperature heating for long term led to a large accumulation of unpleasant odors like pyridine, hexanal and nonanal, especially in RUSF. To examine the distribution of the individual metabolites and flavor compounds among different roasting conditions. A heatmap diagram combined with agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) showed that most Maillard reaction substitutes (amino acids and reducing sugars), products (2-methylpyrazine 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl-pyrazine, and 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine), and Strecker degradation products (3-methylbutanal, 2-methylbutanal, and isobutanal) contributed to separate RGSF from RUSF.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is marked by early hyperglycemic symptoms and concurrent insulin resistance, leading to insulin secretion dysregulation. This resistance correlates with heightened Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) level and reduced malondialdehyde. T2DM elevates malondialdehyde, necessitating antioxidant-rich interventions. Sunflower seed biscuits serve as a rich source of enzymatic antioxidants. The primary objective of this investigation was to substantiate the capacity of sunflower seed biscuits to ameliorate blood glucose and malondialdehyde level in T2DM-afflicted rats. Sunflower seed biscuits were investigated for their impact on blood glucose and malondialdehyde in 24 male Wistar rats. Rats were divided into four groups: diabetes rats (K-), simvastatin-treated (K+), receiving 0.72 g sunflower seed biscuits per rat body weight (X1), and 1.44 g (X2). Administered for 28 days via oral gavage, T2DM was induced through a high-fat diet and streptozotocin. Results showed significant blood glucose reduction in treatment groups (X1: 3.99 ng/mL, X2: 2.89 ng/mL) vs. controls (9.8 ng/mL), with statistical significance (p<0.05). Sunflower seed biscuits effectively lowered blood glucose and malondialdehyde in T2DM rats. The X2 group exhibited superior efficacy in reducing both parameters. Thus, sunflower seed biscuits present promise as a viable dietary option for T2DM management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roasting is a thermal process and various factors such as temperature and duration of roasting play an important role in the textural and sensory properties of the product. In this research, a roasting machine was designed and fabricated for the process of roasting sunflower seeds. Using an electronic nose, the aroma resulting from the roasting process of the samples were investigated and optimized using the response surface method (Central Compound Design) in the temperature range of 80 to 160 degrees Celsius and the time range of 10 to 30 minutes. The response of electronic nose sensors, color parameters including (L*, a*, b*, ΔE, BI) and sensory evaluation were used to develop prediction models and optimize sunflower seed roasting process. The results showed that increasing the temperature and duration of roasting has a significant effect on the response of electronic nose sensors. With increasing temperature and duration of roasting, the value of L* decreased, but a*, b*, ΔE and BI increased, and the highest overall acceptance value of the human panelist was obtained for the sample with a temperature of 120 degrees Celsius and a duration of 20 minutes. The optimum point for roasting sunflower seeds with the fabricated system was 116 degrees Celsius and a duration of 18 minutes. The results of the research showed the useful efficiency of the fabricated system and for the models presented by the response surface method for predicting the values of the dependent variables, the results were very near to the experimental findings. It was (P<0.05) in all the studied values, which indicated the suitability of the proposed models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sunflower is a major agricultural oilseed crop, and the Republic of Kazakhstan has been steadily strengthening its position as a producer of oilseeds. In this study, an oil pressing machine with two processes, including grinding sunflower seeds and pressing the obtained cake to separate the oil, is constructed. The experiment investigated the impact of different grinding degrees (hole diameters of plates of 5 mm, 4 mm, 3 mm, and 2 mm) and screw rotation speeds (ranging from 30 rpm to 250 rpm) on oil pressing efficiency. The study used sunflower seeds with an oil content of 45–47% and moisture of 7–9%. The results showed that increasing the grinding degree and screw rotation speed led to higher oil yield. The optimal condition was a grinding degree of 4 mm and a screw rotation speed of 60 rpm, resulting in the highest oil yield of 15.6 g/s. Additionally, the residual oil content of the seed cake decreased significantly as pressure increased during pressing, particularly with 4 mm grinding. Power consumption increased with higher screw rotation speeds and finer grinding degrees, indicating the influence of grinding components on energy demand. The cake density increased with higher screw rotation speeds and finer grinding degrees, highlighting the impact of grinding mechanisms on cake compactness. Moreover, the temperature of the cake rose with increased screw rotation speed and the presence of grinding sieves. These findings provide valuable insights into optimizing the sunflower oil pressing process, highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate grinding degrees and screw rotation speeds to maximize oil yield and pressing efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sunflowers are among the world's most widely cultivated oilseeds with an interesting nutritional composition. A biomass composed mainly of carbohydrates, fibers, and proteins is generated from sunflower oil production. In this context, the objective of this study was to investigate the application of emerging technologies to sunflower biomass to obtain an edible protein-rich flour with the potential to be exploited in the food industry. The effects of the optimized conditions for the sequential processing of sunflower meal using supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) and high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) were investigated. The protein structure was preserved even after the application of HIUS to the flour as verified through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the electrophoresis curves. The fact that the HIUS treatment did not modify the protein structure demonstrates that this emerging technology could be incorporated into the processing chain of this new food ingredient (sunflower flour) without promoting damage to the nutritional value of the product regarding its protein content. At a pH of 7.0, the flour showed only 30% solubility, and HIUS application improved both the formation and the stability of the emulsion when compared to the other samples. The preliminary evaluation of cell viability (caco2 cells) showed its protective potential against reactive oxygen species. Therefore, the flour resulting from the green processes presented the potential to be employed as an ingredient in the food industry, presenting a technological and nutritional potential when considering its chemical composition. In addition to the novel edible flour, the phenolic compounds obtained a present potential as a functional ingredient to be incorporated into foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Terahertz (THz) time domain computed tomography (CT) system was used for evaluating kernel weight and plumpness of sunflower seed in present study. Specifically, a series of THz projections of the sunflower seed on a rotation stage were captured by a customized transmission mode THz time domain imaging system from different angles. These projections were preprocessed and then modelled by the inverse Radon transform to reconstruct the three-dimensional (3D) sunflower seed. The shapes and structures of sunflower seeds in reconstructed volumetric images were well presented. The volume ratio (obtained by THz CT imaging) and the area ratio (obtained by RGB imaging) of the whole seed to the kernel were calculated as 3D and 2D plumpness, respectively. The comparison between these two different plumpness indicating that our 3D plumpness can better describe the sunflower seed structure. Correlation coefficient (R) between sum intensity values of kernel voxels and kernel weights is 0.89 at 1.2 THz. This is the first application of applying THz CT systems to agri-food research, and the results indicate that THz time domain CT can be a useful nondestructive tool for evaluating weight and plumpness of intact sunflower seed. In addition, there is potential to extend the THz time domain CT system to the analysis of other agri-food sample types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of powder diets may promote development of the predator Geocoris ochropterus (Fieber) when densities are low in greenhouses or fields. Development and nymphal survival ratio of G. ochropterus fed on different powder diets including silkworm pupae (A), crickets (B), silkworm pupae and sunflower seed (C) and crickets and sunflower seed (D) were examined. Total average development period was 30.14 days for instars fed on silkworm pupae, 34.43 days for instars fed on crickets, 26.28 days for instars fed on silkworm pupae and sunflower seed and 29.67 days for instars fed on crickets and sunflower seed, and they were significantly different. Head width, body length, forewing length, dry body weight of adults and sex ratio were not affected by the different diets. There were significantly different found in survival rates among the diets when the nymph reached 5th instar. Results indicate that the combination powder of silkworm pupae and sunflower seed will promise as an alternative diet in the greenhouses to maintain the population of G. ochropterus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. The purpose of this study was to examine replacement rice bran (RB) with the mixture of Aloe vera flour (AVF) + sunflower seed flour (SFS) within the fermented feed of which with the addition of other feed ingredients used to replace 25% of the commercial diet on carcass yields, internal organs, and abdominal fat of broilers. The study was conducted at the Field Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, the Faculty of Agriculture, Syiah Kuala University. The study used 100 chicks strain Cobb applied in a Completely Randomized Design with sub-samplings consisting of 5 treatments, 4 replicates, and 2 sub-samples. The treatments were 100% CP511 (control+) and 4 FF-based diets: FF3% RB (control-), FF3% AVF, FF3% SFS, and FF3% AVF + 3% SFS. The results of this study showed that replacing rice bran with AVS and SFS either exclusively or in combination in equal amount 3% each did not significantly affect (P0.05) the percentages of the carcass, cut-ups, internal organs, and abdominal fat of broilers. In conclusion, either Aloe vera or sunflower seed flour could be incorporated 3% each in a single source or in combination to replace rice bran within the fermented feed. without adverse effects on carcass yields and internal organs as well as abdominal fats of broilers. (Pengaruh penggantian dedak dengan tepung lidah buaya dan biji bunga matahari dalam bahan pakan fermentasi terhadap berat karkas, organ dalam dan lemak abdomen ayam broiler) ABSTRAK. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengamati pengaruh penggantian dedak padi (DP) dengan campuran tepung lidah buaya (TLB) dan biji bunga matahari (TBM) dalam bahan pakan fermentasi yang tersusun dan beberapa bahan pakan lain yang digunakan untuk menggantikan 25% ransum komersil terhadap berat dan persentase karkas, organ dalam, dan lemak abdomen ayam broiler. Penelitian dilakukan di Laboratorium Lapangan Peternakan (LLP), Fakultas Pertanian, Universitas Syiah Kuala. Penelitian menggunakan 100 ekor anak ayam broiler strain Cobb. Rancangan yang digunakan adalah Rancangan Acak Lengkap sub sampel terdiri dari 5 perlakuan, 4 ulangan, dan 2 sub sampel. Hasil penelitian memperlihatkan bahwa penggunaan TLB yang dicampur dengan TBM masing-masing sebanyak 3% tidak berpengaruh nyata (P0,05) terhadap berat dan persentase karkas, organ dalam, dan lemak abdomen ayam broiler. Kesimpulannya, TLB dan TBM masing-masing 3% ataupun campurannya 6% dapat digunakan untuk menggantikan dedak padi dalam bahan pakan fermentasi.

Background: Obesity, abnormal fat accumulation in the adipose tissue, has become a serious global public health problem as it increases an individual’s risk of developing various diseases. Objective: This study sought to determine whether the extract from sunflower seed (SUNCA) prevents the development of obesity in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Design: C57BL/6J mice were fed with AIN93G normal diet (Normal diet), 60% HFD, HFD containing Catechin 100 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) (Catechin), HFD containing SUNCA 25 mg/kg b.w. (SUNCA 25), HFD containing SUNCA 50 mg/kg b.w. (SUNCA 50), or HFD containing SUNCA 100 mg/kg b.w. (SUNCA 100) for 15 weeks. Results: Body weight gain, food efficiency rate, adipose tissue weight, adipose tissue mass, size of adipocytes, and serum levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein/low-density lipoprotein (VLDL/LDL)-cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase were significantly decreased by SUNCA supplementation in HFD-fed mice. Furthermore, SUNCA supplementation decreased the expression of proteins related to the adipogenesis and lipogenesis pathways and increased the expression of proteins related to the lipolysis and thermogenesis pathways in the adipose tissues of HFD-induced obese mice. Conclusions: Altogether, SUNCA might prevent obesity by suppressing the adipogenesis/lipogenesis pathway and stimulating the lipolysis/thermogenesis pathway in HFD-induced obese mice.

Approaching a child with dyspnea, coughing, and wheezing, doctors must consider a foreign body in the respiratory tract, and bronchoscopy should be performed. This report described a child having sunflower seed aspiration late‐ and misdiagnosed as pneumonia. He failed with antibiotics therapy. The patient underwent a bronchoscopy, and then the seed was found and entirely removed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internally mildewed sunflower seeds, which cannot be recognized and discarded based on their appearance, pose a serious risk to human health. Thus, there is a need for a rapid non-destructive mildew grade discrimination method. Currently, few reports are available regarding this process. In this study, a method based on the combination of the near-infrared diffuse reflectance and near-infrared diffuse transmission (NIRr-NIRt) fusion spectra and a one-dimension convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) is proposed. The NIRr-NIRt fusion spectra can provide more complementary and comprehensive information, and therefore better discrimination accuracy, than a single spectrum. The first derivative (FD) preprocessing method could further improve the discrimination effect. By comparison against three conventional machine learning algorithms (artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), and K-nearest neighbor (KNN)), the 1D-CNN model based on the fusion spectra was found to perform the best. The mean prediction accuracy was 2.01%, 5.97%, and 10.55% higher than that of the ANN, SVM, and KNN models, respectively. These results indicate that the CNN model was able to precisely classify the mildew grades with a prediction accuracy of 97.60% and 94.04% for the training and test set, respectively. Thus, this study provides a non-destructive and rapid method for classifying the mildew grade of sunflower seeds with the potential to be applied in the quality control of sunflower seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

对不同产地的葵花籽进行炒籽并压榨制油，测定葵花籽原料中氯离子含量及葵花籽油中氯离子、3-氯丙醇酯、维生素E含量及甘油酯组成、酸值、过氧化值、色泽（红值），分析炒籽条件对葵花籽油3-氯丙醇酯产生及品质的影响。结果表明：经过炒籽后中国内蒙古葵花籽中氯离子含量下降幅度最大；葵花籽油中3-氯丙醇酯含量随炒籽温度升高和炒籽时间延长呈升高趋势，中国内蒙古葵花籽油中3-氯丙醇酯含量最高。同一炒籽温度、不同炒籽时间下，压榨葵花籽油中氯离子含量存在显著性差异，其中中国甘肃葵花籽油中氯离子含量为0.28～0.58 mg/kg，中国内蒙古葵花籽油中氯离子含量为0.32～0.87 mg/kg，保加利亚葵花籽油中氯离子含量为0.46～1.26 mg/kg。200、220 ℃炒籽温度下，随炒籽时间的延长，葵花籽油中甘油酯组成发生显著变化，中国甘肃葵花籽油甘二酯含量为1.83%～4.12%，甘三酯含量为95.20%～97.35%；中国内蒙古葵花籽油甘二酯含量为1.33%～3.92%，甘三酯含量为95.36%～98.21%；保加利亚葵花籽油甘二酯含量为135%～4.53%，甘三酯含量为94.75%～97.96%。葵花籽油中维生素E含量受炒籽时间的影响显著，随着炒籽温度的升高维生素E总量降低，在炒籽温度由200 ℃上升至220 ℃时，中国甘肃葵花籽油中维生素E总量由105.6～157.7 mg/kg下降至82.1～141.2 mg/kg，中国内蒙古葵花籽油中维生素E总量由147.4～152.1 mg/kg下降至91.1～141.3 mg/kg，保加利亚葵花籽油中维生素E总量由53.6～167.7 mg/kg下降至51.2～116.0 mg/kg。随着炒籽温度升高和炒籽时间延长，葵花籽油酸值逐渐升高，色泽逐渐加深，而过氧化值随炒籽时间延长逐渐升高，随炒籽温度升高而下降。综合葵花籽油3-氯丙醇酯的产生和质量指标，建议葵花籽油生产以炒籽温度不超过200 ℃、炒籽时间不超过30 min为佳。 Sunflower seed oil was prepared by roasting seeds from different areas at different temperatures and time. The chloride ion in sunflower seed, and contents of chloride ion, 3-MCPD ester and vitamin E, glyceride composition, acid value, peroxide value and color(red value) of sunflower seed oil were detected to analyze the effect of roasting conditions on the formation of 3-MCPD ester and quality of sunflower seed oil. The results showed that after roasting, the chloride ion content in sunflower seed from Inner Mongolia, China decreased the most. The content of 3-MCPD ester in sunflower seed oil increased with the increasing of roasting temperature and roasting time. The chloride ion content in the oil from Inner Mongolia, China was the highest. After roasting for different time at the same temperature, there were significant differences in the content of chloride ion in pressed sunflower seed oil. The content of chloride ion in the oil from Gansu, China, Inner Mongolia, China and Bulgaria were 0.28-0.58 mg/kg, 0.32-0.87 mg/kg and 046-1.26 mg/kg respectively. The composition of glycerides in the sunflower seed oil changed significantly with the increasing of roasting time at 200 ℃ and 220 ℃. Diglyceride content in the oil from Gansu, China ranged from 1.83% to 4.12%, and triglyceride content ranged from 95.20% to 97.35%.The contents of diglyceride and triglyceride varied from 1.33% to 3.92% and 95.36% to 9821% in the oil from Inner Mongolia, China. Diglyceride content in the oil from Bulgaria varied from 1.35% to 453%, and triglyceride content varied from 94.75% to 97.96%. The content of vitamin E in sunflower seed oil was significantly affected by the roasting time. The total amount of vitamin E decreased with the increasing of roasting temperature. The total amount of vitamin E in the oil from Gansu, China decreased from 105.6-157.7 mg/kg to 82.1-141.2 mg/kg when the roasting temperature increased from 200 ℃ to 220 ℃.The total amount of vitamin E in the oil from Inner Mongolia,China decreased from 147.4-152.1 mg/kg to 91.1-141.3 mg/kg, and that in the oil from Bulgaria decreased from 53.6-167.7 mg/kg to 51.2-116.0 mg/kg. The acid value and color of sunflower seed oil increased with the increasing of roasting temperature and roasting time, while the peroxide value increased gradually with the increasing of roasting time and decreased with the increasing of roasting temperature. Considering the formation of 3-MCPD ester and quality indexes, the sunflower seed oil with higher quality could be obtained when roasting temperature was lower than 200 ℃ and roasting time was less than 30 min.

Sunflower is a major agricultural oilseed crop, and the Republic of Kazakhstan has been steadily strengthening its position as a producer of oilseeds. In this study, an oil pressing machine with two processes, including grinding sunflower seeds and pressing the obtained cake to separate the oil, is constructed. The experiment investigated the impact of different grinding degrees (hole diameters of plates of 5 mm, 4 mm, 3 mm, and 2 mm) and screw rotation speeds (ranging from 30 rpm to 250 rpm) on oil pressing efficiency. The study used sunflower seeds with an oil content of 45–47% and moisture of 7–9%. The results showed that increasing the grinding degree and screw rotation speed led to higher oil yield. The optimal condition was a grinding degree of 4 mm and a screw rotation speed of 60 rpm, resulting in the highest oil yield of 15.6 g/s. Additionally, the residual oil content of the seed cake decreased significantly as pressure increased during pressing, particularly with 4 mm grinding. Power consumption increased with higher screw rotation speeds and finer grinding degrees, indicating the influence of grinding components on energy demand. The cake density increased with higher screw rotation speeds and finer grinding degrees, highlighting the impact of grinding mechanisms on cake compactness. Moreover, the temperature of the cake rose with increased screw rotation speed and the presence of grinding sieves. These findings provide valuable insights into optimizing the sunflower oil pressing process, highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate grinding degrees and screw rotation speeds to maximize oil yield and pressing efficiency.

Abstract Approaching a child with dyspnea, coughing, and wheezing, doctors must consider a foreign body in the respiratory tract, and bronchoscopy should be performed. This report described a child having sunflower seed aspiration late‐ and misdiagnosed as pneumonia. He failed with antibiotics therapy. The patient underwent a bronchoscopy, and then the seed was found and entirely removed.

Foraging behaviors of animals that promote efficiency can be explained by optimal foraging theory. Previous research suggests that factors associated with nutrition (e.g., oil content) or size (e.g., seed weight and depth) influence the foraging behaviors of Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). In February and March 2020 we examined seed selection in Black-capped Chickadees. Specifically, we collected black oil sunflower seeds discarded from a tube bird feeder by Black-capped Chickadees and compared them with seeds selected at random from the feeder. We measured the depth, length, width, and weight of 180 sunflower seeds. We found that the size and weight of the seeds were both important factors for chickadees in seed selection. In addition, chickadees preferred seeds that were significantly heavier when adjusted for seed size. These findings suggest that Black-capped Chickadees select seeds based on their size and weight to maximize the nutritional content they intake. Chickadees therefore must also be able to distinguish small differences in seed weight, which may maximize their acquired energy while decreasing the risks of predation when individuals are exposed during foraging. Los comportamientos de forrajeo de animales que promueven la eficiencia pueden ser explicados por la teoría del forrajeo óptimo. Investigaciones previas sugieren que factores asociados a la nutrición (ej., contenido de aceites) o tamaño (ej., espesor y peso de las semillas) influyen en los comportamientos de forrajeo del carbonero cabecinegro (Poecile atricapillus). En febrero y marzo del 2020 examinamos la selección de semillas del carbonero cabecinegro. Específicamente, colectamos semillas de girasol de aceite negro descartadas de un comedero de tubo para aves por el carbonero cabecinegro y las comparamos con semillas seleccionadas al azar del comedero. Medimos el espesor, largo, ancho y peso de 180 semillas de girasol. Encontramos que el tamaño y el peso de las semillas eran factores importantes para los carboneros al seleccionar las semillas. Además, los carboneros prefirieron semillas que eran significativamente más pesadas al ajustar las medidas por tamaño de semilla. Estos hallazgos sugieren que los carboneros cabecinegros seleccionan las semillas con base en el tamaño y el peso para maximizar el contenido nutricional que ingieren. Los carboneros deben entonces poder distinguir pequeñas diferencias de peso de las semillas, lo que podría maximizar su energía adquirida y a la vez disminuiría los riesgos de depredación a los que se someten los individuos durante el forrajeo. Palabras clave: aceite negro, comedero de aves, forrajeo óptimo, semilla de girasol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vitiligo is a dermatological disease that affects about 0.38% to 2.9% of the world population. Currently, the main treatments used for vitiligo involve the use of topical drugs such as corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors, phototherapy, systemic treatment with steroids and even surgical grafts and, in acute cases, depigmenting treatments. Natural products are an alternative for the treatment of vitiligo: mamacadela (Brosimum gaudichaudii), a plant rich in furanocoumarins, and sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus), rich in phenolic substances, are already used to treat vitiligo. There are also popular reports of the use of a preparation containing coffee (Coffea sp) and sunflower seed (Helianthus annuus) to treat vitiligo.Case Report: A female patient, 28 years old, diagnosed with vitiligo, reported having obtained a positive result in the repigmentation of the pale white patches after the daily use of a preparation containing coffee and sunflower seed for about one year.Discussion: Data from the scientific literature demonstrated that chemical constituents of these plants, such as chlorogenic acid and its isomers, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action, and substances such as linoleic acid and vitamins E and B, which help in the process of melanin formation on the skin, may be responsible for the observed repigmentation of the patches. Further research on this case report is important for scientific validation and the development of new therapeutic options, especially with less adverse effects, in the treatment of vitiligo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sunflower seeds are a popular allergen-free peanut alternative., Objective: To describe sunflower seed allergy incidence and characteristics., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with sunflower seed allergy from 1995 to 2021 in a pediatric allergy clinic. We described demographic characteristics, testing results, atopic comorbidities, and reaction histories of patients with sunflower seed allergy and calculated the annual cumulative incidence of the allergy. Logistic regression was used to estimate the increase in odds of sunflower seed allergy diagnosis for each year from 1995 to 2021., Results: From 1995 to 2021, we identified 235 patients with sunflower seed allergy. Among patients with sunflower seed allergy, the median age at diagnosis was 3.9 years. More than three-quarters of patients had another atopic condition. Half of the reactions consisted of mild urticaria or rash, and a quarter met criteria for anaphylaxis. The cumulative incidence ranged from 0% (1995-1999, 2001-2004, and 2006) to 0.38% (2021). From 1995 to 2021, the odds of sunflower seed allergy diagnosis increased annually by 21% (odds ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.17-1.25)., Conclusions: In our single-center cohort of children with sunflower seed allergy, most children were diagnosed in early childhood, had high rates of comorbid atopic conditions, and had high rates of cutaneous reactions to sunflower seed products. Moreover, in our cohort, incidence of sunflower seed allergy increased., (Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Seed bezoars are a subcategory of phytobezoars caused by undigested vegetable seeds or fruit pits. We report the case of a 48-year-old woman who was admitted due to severe constipation and rectal pain. Rectal examination was notable for numerous sunflower seeds at the anal verge. Initial CT imaging revealed fecal impaction with a rectal bezoar which was managed with manual evacuation. Repeat CT imaging was notable for a gastric bezoar which was successfully managed by dissolution therapy with Coca-Cola. Most seed bezoars can be managed conservatively and life-threatening complications are rare., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: None to report., (© 2024 Greater Baltimore Medical Center.)

The article deals with a study of processing methods of obtaining protein preparations from sunflower seeds. For obtaining of food-grade protein preparations from the defatted sunflower kernels phenolic compounds were additionally removed. Modern Russian and foreign literature sources devoted to the isolation of phenolic compounds from vegetable protein raw materials were analyzed. The objective of obtaining a light-colored food-grade protein preparation from sunflower seeds was solved through developing of a multi-stage extraction process with removal of various groups of non-protein compounds, including the stage of aqueous ethanol extraction and removal of phenolic compounds. Parameters of different stages of obtaining of protein substances from defatted sunflower seed kernels after removal of phenolic compounds were studied. These stages included alkaline extraction of protein and nitrogen-free extractives (NFE), separation of the insoluble residue, isoelectric precipitation of protein compounds from the clarified extract, neutralization of the protein suspension. Drying of the protein suspension was carried out on a laboratory spray installation Buchi Mini Spray Dryer with a temperature at the entrance of the dryer 180–190 ℃ and at the exit – up to 90 ℃. Protein preparations of light gray color were obtained with a crude protein content of 75,72% and 87,15% on dry matter basis, which corresponds to the crude protein content of commercial sunflower and soy protein concentrates. Solubility pattern of proteins and functional characteristics of finished protein preparations after spray drying have been analyzed. Based on the high fat-holding capacity and moderate fat-emulsifying properties of the obtained protein preparations it’s possible to recommend the obtained sunflower protein preparation for usage as a vegetable protein enricher and functional additive in food industry.

The relevance of research is conditioned by the need to improve the efficiency of plot combines for harvesting sunflower seed crops. Experimental studies were carried out by planning and staging multifactorial experiments. The dependence of the force factors influence on the seed shedding from a sunflower basket was obtained based on the laboratory studies results. This dependence makes it possible to evaluate the influence of the parameters of the harvester header on the value of seed losses from shedding. The study made it possible to substantiate the design of the header attachment of the plot combine, consisting of a three-blade reel, box-type dividers and side shields. An experimental sample of the header attachment to the "Sampo-500" grain harvester has been developed and manufactured. Experimental studies of the influence of the speed of the combine movement and the coefficient of the operation kinematic mode of the reel to the developed device on the quality indicators of the harvesting of sunflower crops seeds were carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Super critical extraction is a new method for separation of efficient processes and effective method for extracting a necessary foundation of solid or liquid material are suitable purity. Seed sunflower seed oil is the second one year after soy which is cultivated for its oil on the world. In this article, sunflower seed oil is extracted by liquid carbon dioxide in super critical conditions. Effects of temperature, pressure and grain size in the rate of extraction efficiency were the change in particle size among other parameters extraction efficiency because they have a role and the smaller the size, the efficiency is higher. Results proves is that temperature changes and pressure changes in comparison with particle size in the process of extraction efficiency was less effect because of reduced grain size increased 75 percent extraction efficiency. While the temperature increase of 16 percent and increasing pressure about 5 percent increase in extraction efficiency was observed.

Umami peptides were derived from enzymatic hydrolysis of sunflower seed protein, followed by isolation and identification. The flavourzyme-enzymatic hydrolysates exhibited the highest umami intensity value of 10.72 ± 0.05 and the lowest bitterness, when pH was adjusted to 7.0, the flavorzyme was added at enzyme-to-substrate (E/S) ratio of 1:25 (w/w), then incubated in a temperature-controlled water bath at 55°C, and the hydrolysis time was 480 min. Ultrafiltration, gel filtration chromatography, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) were used to isolate the umami peptides of sunflower seed. Five fractions were obtained after ultra-filtration, fraction with molecular weight 1-3 kDa showed highest umami intensity value 13.93 ± 0.06. Fraction F1, which was purified via sephadex gel filtration chromatography, exhibited high umami value (12.21 ± 0.06), and low bitterness (4.57 ± 0.06). Seven sub-fractions were purified by RP-HPLC, and the umami taste value of F1-4 was the highest (14.16 ± 0.05), which was 1.32 times stronger than that of sunflower seed protein hydrolysates without any purification. Furthermore, the structure of fraction F1-4 was characterized by mass spectrometry, and three peptide fractions were identified, with amino acid sequences of DVNNPANQLD, NNENQLDEYQR, and EFEGGSIEH, respectively.

Internally mildewed sunflower seeds, which cannot be recognized and discarded based on their appearance, pose a serious risk to human health. Thus, there is a need for a rapid non-destructive mildew grade discrimination method. Currently, few reports are available regarding this process. In this study, a method based on the combination of the near-infrared diffuse reflectance and near-infrared diffuse transmission (NIRr-NIRt) fusion spectra and a one-dimension convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) is proposed. The NIRr-NIRt fusion spectra can provide more complementary and comprehensive information, and therefore better discrimination accuracy, than a single spectrum. The first derivative (FD) preprocessing method could further improve the discrimination effect. By comparison against three conventional machine learning algorithms (artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine (SVM), and K-nearest neighbor (KNN)), the 1D-CNN model based on the fusion spectra was found to perform the best. The mean prediction accuracy was 2.01%, 5.97%, and 10.55% higher than that of the ANN, SVM, and KNN models, respectively. These results indicate that the CNN model was able to precisely classify the mildew grades with a prediction accuracy of 97.60% and 94.04% for the training and test set, respectively. Thus, this study provides a non-destructive and rapid method for classifying the mildew grade of sunflower seeds with the potential to be applied in the quality control of sunflower seeds.

Sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus) are an uncommon source of allergy; however, some cases of allergy to sunflower seeds have been reported. Sunflower seed sensitization occurs to storage proteins (2S albumins) and lipid transfer proteins (LTPs). A 46-year-old female presented three allergic reactions within minutes of consuming sunflower seeds. A prick-to-prick test indicated a positive reaction only to sunflower seeds and a negative reaction to other nuts, such as almond, hazelnut, pistachio, cashew, peanut, macadamia, sesame, and walnut. Prick-to-prick and oral provocation tests of sunflower oil were performed, and a negative result was obtained. The patient was prescribed a 0.3 mg epinephrine autoinjector device for emergency intramuscular administration. The patient is currently under avoidance of sunflower seed but eats food cooked in sunflower seed oil. Based on this case, we should recognize that sunflower seeds have the potential to cause severe anaphylaxis, which indicates tolerance to sunflower oil. An accurate and fast diagnosis allows timely recommendation to practice strict avoidance of sunflower seeds, thus reducing the possibility of recurrence of an anaphylactic reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sprouts with higher levels of nutrients and lower content of antinutritional substances have been gained a growing interest in the influence on the human's health. The study of the influence of germination temperature and time on the metabolite profiles of sunflower seed was studied by a metabolomics approach based on gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC‐FID). Samples were extracted and fractionated covering a wide range of lipophilic and hydrophilic spectra. A total of 90 metabolites were identified by comparison with reference standards. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed distinct dynamic changes in metabolites with the germinating time. Heatmap and agglomerative hierarchical clustering analysis revealed the differences and similarities among the samples. The germinating sunflower seeds clustered into three major groups. For instance, group I with a high content of sterols, monosaccharide, and amino acids, indicating the germination process, resulted in an increase in amino acids and monosaccharide. Group II had a high content of FAME and FFA. Relative targeted quantification of metabolites visually depicted by heatmap showed decreases in fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and free fatty acid (FFA), and increases in amino acids, α‐tocopherol, sterols, and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) during germination. Sunflower seeds germinated at 25°C were better for the accumulation of α‐tocopherol, stigmasterol, leucine, proline, methionine, glutamine, and GABA compared with those at 35°C. These results help to better understand how germination conditions change the nutritional quality of germinated sunflower seeds from a metabolite profile view, allowing for the rational screening and usage of germinated sunflower seeds in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrolytic activity for chlorogenic acid (CGA) has been recognized as an important side activity of some types of ferulic acid esterases. The purpose of this work was to enhance the efficient expression of ferulic acid esterase (FAE) and to explore its application in the processing of sunflower seed. Two novel FAEs from Aspergillus aculeatus (AaSD14) were expressed in genetically engineered E. coli BL21 (DE3), and their properties, including temperature, pH, metal ions and substrate specificity, were characterized after purification. Competitive CGA hydrolysis activity was observed in these recombined ferulic acid esterases (reFAEs) with reFAE1 of 246.37 U/g and reFAE2 of 340.95 U/g, which were 56.6 and 78.4 times higher than that of the wild strain (4.35 U/g), respectively. Meanwhile, the fermentation cycle was greatly shortened to 2.0 d. These reFAEs were recognized as type C FAE through substrate specificity assays. Treatment of sunflower seed protein (SSP) using reFAE2 resulted in a remarkable color change, from green to milk-white, confirming the activity of CGA biodegradation. Therefore, it shows certain potential in the processing of sunflower seed and other related foodstuffs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large volumes of produced water are generated as a byproduct in activities of oil and gas exploitation, which can be reused in agriculture after a treatment process. Activated sludge treatment has been successfully used to remove oil from wastewater, but systematic studies on the toxicity of this effluent using this treatment are scarce in the literature. In this study, it was investigated the performance of an activated sludge system in the treatment of a synthetic produced water under different initial conditions in terms of salinity and oil and grease concentration. Furthermore, it was evaluated this effluent phytotoxicity in the germination, and seedling and plant growths of sunflower and corn seeds using untreated and treated synthetic produced water. Results revealed the activated sludge effectiveness in oil and grease and salinity removal from produced water, viz. high removal efficiency of 99.01 ± 0.28 and 91.07 ± 0.39%., respectively. Untreated produced water showed considerable toxic effects on the germination (74.67 ± 2.31% and 82.67 ± 2.31 for sunflower and corn seeds, respectively) and growth stages of sunflower and corn seed plants. The germination percentage was approximately 100% for both types of seed. The seedling and plant growth of the two seeds irrigated with treated produced water had similar performance when used tap water. These results highlighted the potential reuse as an unconventional water resource for plant irrigation of the synthetic produced water treated by an activated sludge process, which technology has showed high removal performance of salinity and oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide analysis of current state and perspectives of the economic efficiency of sunflower seed production in Ukraine. There are investigated economic efficiency indicators of sunflower production in contemporary conditions; price analysis; main factors of further development of sunflower growing. According to the research results, the world market of sunflower seed and products of its processing (i.e. oil and meal) is developing rapidly. Ukraine occupies a significant place in this market segment. Our research has shown the close integration of the Ukrainian sunflower, oil and meal markets with world markets. The supply of sunflower seed depends primarily on production volumes and demand is determined by the consumption level of Ukrainian processing enterprises. Production cost influence significantly on the economic efficiency of sunflower seed. In this framework we analyzed one of production cost component - crude oil prices that in turn reflect on sunflower seed prices. Co-integration results showed that in the long-run Ukrainian sunflower seed could follow crude oil prices in common path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roasted germinated sunflower seeds were stored at 20 °C and 40 °C for 1 to 4 weeks. Integrative metabolomicsflavouromics was applied to monitor dynamic changes of metabolites and volatile compounds during storage using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection and headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography- mass spectrometry. In total, 63 metabolites and 73 volatile compounds were identified. Relative targeted quantification showed a reduction of unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, -aminobutyric acid and organic acid contents, and an increase in the contents of hexanal, heptanal and nonanal at 40 °C. Principal components analysis differentiated all samples related to their storage temperature and time. Heatmap and agglomerative hierarchical clustering analysis further revealed the differences and similarities among the samples. The storage of roasted germinated sunflower seeds clustered into three major groups. For instance, group I showed higher levels of off-flavour compounds at 40 °C, indicating a higher potential of lipid oxidation occurring at 40 °C. Group III exhibited higher levels of amino acids and pyrazines at 20 °C, indicating a low loss of nutrients and a high potential of roast aroma at 20 °C. The samples stored at 20 °C better maintained nutrients and the roast aroma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal survivability is fundamental for optimum memory performance and human wellbeing. This study aims to investigate the effect of black mulberry (Morus nigra) fruit extract, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed and exercise on memory span and neuroplasticity-related biomarkers. Study participants (n=40) were randomly assigned into four groups; 1) Negative control, 2) Treatment (100mg/kg body weight black mulberry + 50mg/kg body weight sunflower seed + 50mg/kg body weight pumpkin seed), 3) Exercise (30 min. slow run, heart rate monitored between 128-130bpm), and 4) Treatment and exercise (100mg/kg body weight black mulberry + 50mg/kg body weight sunflower seed + 50mg/kg body weight pumpkin seed + 30 min. slow run). All subjects in groups 2, 3, and 4 were required to complete cognitive task assessment for domain memory span on day 0 (baseline), 30, and 60 of experiments. Blood samples were collected at the end of the study and the concentrations of glucocorticoid receptor-α (GCR-α), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations were determined using ELISA kit. The results revealed that isolated treatment resulted in an improvement in the reaction time for the measure of memory span while the combination with exercise did not provide an additional effect. As for serum analysis, GCR-α level was significantly lower in all groups, whereas BDNF concentration was doubled in treatment and exercise group compared to the control group. concentration only increased significantly in the treatment group. These findings highlighted the potential of black mulberry fruit in combination with sunflower seed and pumpkin seed on improving memory function by enhancing the production of neuroplasticity marker and reducing the secretion of stress hormone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of sunflower seed usually influences the load and product quality. The plumpness, expressing as the percent of the kernel and shell (%), is a crucial indicator reflecting the vigor of the sunflower seed. Investigations were carried out to measure the plumpness of intact sunflower seed by the use of terahertz (THz) transmittance imaging. The THz data of the worms, defects, and sound sunflower seeds were scanned using a THz time-domain transmittance imaging system. Followed THz imaging, the shell and kernel of the sample were separated carefully and recorded RGB images as the reference. Compared with the shell, the absorption coefficients and time domain signals of the kernel showed a significant difference in 0.5–2.0 THz. The characteristic images in 0.5–2.0 THz and control groups of 0.5–1.0, 1.0–1.5, and 1.5–2.0 THz were extracted, and the defects, kernel, and shell could be discriminated clearly in 0.5–2.0 THz. The models of the plumpness were developed between the THz and RGB images processed by the threshold segmentation. The determination coefficient and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) were 0.91 and 4% for an independent prediction set, respectively. The results suggested that use of THz transmittance imaging in measurement of plumpness of the intact sunflower seed was feasible. In addition, THz imaging provided a novel quality assessment solution for the coated samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Umami peptides were derived from enzymatic hydrolysis of sunflower seed protein, followed by isolation and identification. The flavourzyme-enzymatic hydrolysates exhibited the highest umami intensity value of 10.72 ± 0.05 and the lowest bitterness, when pH was adjusted to 7.0, the flavorzyme was added at enzyme-to-substrate (E/S) ratio of 1:25 (w/w), then incubated in a temperature-controlled water bath at 55°C, and the hydrolysis time was 480 min. Ultrafiltration, gel filtration chromatography, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) were used to isolate the umami peptides of sunflower seed. Five fractions were obtained after ultra-filtration, fraction with molecular weight 1-3 kDa showed highest umami intensity value 13.93 ± 0.06. Fraction F1, which was purified via sephadex gel filtration chromatography, exhibited high umami value (12.21 ± 0.06), and low bitterness (4.57 ± 0.06). Seven sub-fractions were purified by RP-HPLC, and the umami taste value of F1-4 was the highest (14.16 ± 0.05), which was 1.32 times stronger than that of sunflower seed protein hydrolysates without any purification. Furthermore, the structure of fraction F1-4 was characterized by mass spectrometry, and three peptide fractions were identified, with amino acid sequences of DVNNPANQLD, NNENQLDEYQR, and EFEGGSIEH, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to investigate why the sharp decline of sunflower seed production had occurred just after the starting of modern varieties promotion policy in Tanzania. Specifically, the study aims to (1) examine the changes in production of sunflower seed crop and that of its substitutable crop (sweet potato) for ten years, (2) determine the differences in profitability between sunflower production with modern varieties and production of related crops (sunflower seed with traditional varieties, and sweet potato), (3) examine the effect of relative price changes, (4) clarify other related factors such as famers' characteristics in the adoption of new technologies, contract farming, and limited capacities of oil processing sectors. The field study was conducted in March and September 2018, selecting 270 farmers from three villages in Ikungi District. Based on the data obtained in the 2018 field study, profitability of the three types of cultivation was calculated. The result shows that sweet potato farmers received the highest economic return in terms of gross profit (545.7 TZS/ha) than sunflower farmers with modern seed varieties (397.0 TZS/ha). Sunflower farmers using traditional varieties received the lowest (273.7 TZS/ha). Furthermore, it was confirmed that changes in the farm gate prices over time had influenced profitability of three types of farming. At the starting time sunflower production with modern technologies had its advantage against sweet potato production. Farmers' crop selection is mostly rational but institutional factors like contract farming and limited capacity of processing sector were the barrier for the change. Also, it was suggested that farmers need more education and training for more rational crop selection. Finally, from this case policy makers have to know that if the conditions are not well fulfilled the promotion of new technology may not have the desired result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to determine the impact of different air temperature (60°C, 80°C and 100°C) at air drying velocity of 1.0 ms-1 during convection drying thermal process on the sunflower seeds oil and ash content. The research was conducted at 4 different sunflower seeds hybrid Apollo, NK Brio, PR 63 and PR 90 A 63 D 82, which by their characteristics are early and medium early hybrids. Based on the results, the curve of water speed release from the sunflower seeds, the activation energy, as well as changes in oil content and ash content before and after the convective drying was obtained. It was established that the NK Brio hybrid fastest release water compared to other hybrids during drying which is confirmed by minimum value of activation energy and that the increasing of air drying temperature increases oil content, while reduces ash content.

Background and Objective: Sunflower seed is one of the most common edible seeds and its consumption is growing. Case reports of sunflower seed allergy have been described since the 1970s. However, there are few data on the prevalence and clinical manifestations of sunflower seed allergy. To improve understanding of sunflower seed allergy., Methods: We evaluated the clinical and immunological features of patients with sunflower seed allergy diagnosed in the Allergy Department of a tertiary hospital in Madrid over a 5-years period., Results: Forty-seven patients reported adverse reactions after ingestion of sunflower seed and had specific sensitization to sunflower seed determined by skin prick test (median 8 mm) or specific IgE (median 1.10 kUA/L). Most had an adult-onset reaction to sunflower seed preceded by a history of atopy and other food allergies, predominantly to peach, peanut and nuts. Clinical presentation of sunflower seed allergy ranged from mild to severe, with a high proportion of patients suffering severe reactions, often undertreated. A variability in the severity of symptoms was seen on repeated exposures to sunflower seed on a same patient. Levels of sunflower seed IgE were strongly correlated with levels of IgE to non-specific lipid transfer proteins, while no significant differences were found in the severity of the reactions according to sensitization to those proteins., Conclusion: Our findings reveal a variability of clinical presentations of sunflower seed allergy on repeated exposures and an underuse of epinephrine in anaphylaxis. We highlight the importance of strict avoidance of sunflower seed and accurate prescription and administration of epinephrine in allergic patients.

Hydrolytic activity for chlorogenic acid (CGA) has been recognized as an important side activity of some types of ferulic acid esterases. The purpose of this work was to enhance the efficient expression of ferulic acid esterase (FAE) and to explore its application in the processing of sunflower seed. Two novel FAEs from Aspergillus aculeatus (AaSD14) were expressed in genetically engineered E. coli BL21 (DE3), and their properties, including temperature, pH, metal ions and substrate specificity, were characterized after purification. Competitive CGA hydrolysis activity was observed in these recombined ferulic acid esterases (reFAEs) with reFAE1 of 246.37 U/g and reFAE2 of 340.95 U/g, which were 56.6 and 78.4 times higher than that of the wild strain (4.35 U/g), respectively. Meanwhile, the fermentation cycle was greatly shortened to 2.0 d. These reFAEs were recognized as type C FAE through substrate specificity assays. Treatment of sunflower seed protein (SSP) using reFAE2 resulted in a remarkable color change, from green to milk-white, confirming the activity of CGA biodegradation. Therefore, it shows certain potential in the processing of sunflower seed and other related foodstuffs.