Utilization of sunflower heads as a component of animal feed production

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is the most important oil plant in the Republic of Croatia for the production of edible oil from seeds. Subsequent to the oil production, the utilizable biomass of postharvest residues remains, being used for the production of solid biofuels, as well as the sunflower heads, which can be used as the ingredients for the production of animal feed. The aim of this study was to determine the physical and chemical properties of the sunflower head with seeds in order to be able to use the whole head in animal feed. The sunflower head, which usually has a diameter of 10 to 40 cm, contains 7% of protein, 16% of fiber, and 4% of oil subsequent to the separation of the seeds, while the sunflower seed contains 38 to 45% of oil and many unsaturated fatty acids, being a valuable source of vitamins. By processing the seeds after extraction, a protein-rich cake, or meal, is obtained, which is also a high-quality animal feed. Three sunflower hybrids were used for the study: Alexa SU, Driver CL, and Surimi CL. The results demonstrate that the Surimi CL hybrid has better physical properties due to a larger head diameter and weight. The Alexa SU hybrid had better chemical properties, as it had a higher starch content and a lower water content and therefore should not be thermically treated before use, while the Driver CL hybrid had the highest fat content and the lowest ash content (p<0,05).
Suncokret (Helianthus annuus L.) je najvažnija uljarica u Republici Hrvatskoj za proizvodnju jestivoga ulja iz sjemenaka. Nakon proizvodnje ulja ostaje korisna biomasa posliježetvenih ostataka, koja se koristi za proizvodnju čvrstih biogoriva, kao i glave suncokreta, koje se mogu koristiti kao sastojci u proizvodnji hrane za životinje. Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je odrediti fizikalna i kemijska svojstva glave suncokreta sa sjemenkama kako bi se cijela glava mogla koristiti u hrani za životinje. Glava suncokreta, koja obično ima promjer između 10 i 40 cm, sadrži 7 % proteina, 16 % vlakana i 4 % ulja nakon odvajanja sjemenaka, dok sjemenke suncokreta sadrže 38 - 45 % ulja i mnogo nezasićenih masnih kiselina te su vrijedan izvor vitamina. Doradom sjemenaka nakon ekstrakcije dobiva se pogača ili sačma, koja je bogata proteinima i također je visokokvalitetna hrana za životinje. Za istraživanje su korištena tri hibrida suncokreta: Alexa SU, Driver CL i Surimi CL. Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da hibrid Surimi CL ima bolja fizikalna svojstva zbog većega promjera i težine glava. Hibrid Alexa SU je imao bolja kemijska svojstva jer je imao veći udio škroba i niži udio vode te se stoga ne treba termički obrađivati prije upotrebe, dok je hibrid Driver CL imao najveći udio masti i najmanji udio pepela (p<0,05).