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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Sunflower and Plant Biology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #108619
Title: STRATEGIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUSUN SUNFLOWER HYBRIDS

Author
item Vick, Brady
item Miller, Jerry

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2001
Publication Date: 1/1/2002
Citation: Vick, B.A., Miller, J.F. 2002. Strategies for the development of NuSun sunflower hybrids. In: Kuo, T.M., Gardner, H.W., editors. Lipid Biotechnology. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc. 6:115-128.

Interpretive Summary: The story of the sunflower, and its passage from a simple wild prairie flower to a major oilseed commodity on the world market, is marked by several milestones of human ingenuity. This book chapter summarizes the historical events that enabled this transition, and extensively reviews the most recent event, the development of NuSun oil, which is currently in progress. The story of the transition within the sunflower industry to produce NuSun oil began with a suggestion by industry that a mid-oleic (monounsaturated) oil would offer several competitive advantages over other oils in the marketplace. The advantages of a mid-oleic sunflower oil are increased oil stability during frying, good flavor characteristics in the fried food product, and the lack of a hydrogenation requirement to improve stability. Hydrogenation results in the formation of trans fatty acids, which act like saturated fatty acids in promoting cardiovascular and heart disease. Previous genetic studies by ARS scientists had shown that it was possible to create a mid-level oleic acid sunflower oil, and the genetics and plant breeding methods are discussed in the chapter. A process was then set in motion by the industry to produce a small amount of NuSun oil for consumer testing. The results were positive, and after much discussion amongst various components of the sunflower industry, a decision was made to convert the industry from a high-linoleic sunflower oil to a mid-oleic (NuSun) sunflower oil. Future challenges and the outlook for NuSun oil are discussed.

Technical Abstract: The story of the sunflower, and its passage from a simple wild prairie flower to a major oilseed commodity on the world market, is marked by several milestones of human ingenuity. This book chapter summarizes the historical events that enabled this transition, and extensively reviews the most recent event, the development of NuSun oil, which is currently in progress. The story of the transition within the sunflower industry to produce NuSun oil began with a suggestion by industry that a mid-oleic (monounsaturated) oil would offer several competitive advantages over other oils in the marketplace. The advantages of a mid-oleic sunflower oil are increased oil stability during frying, good flavor characteristics in the fried food product, and the lack of a hydrogenation requirement to improve stability. Hydrogenation results in the formation of trans fatty acids, which act like saturated fatty acids in promoting cardiovascular and heart disease. Previous genetic studies by ARS scientists had shown that it was possible to create a mid-level oleic acid sunflower oil, and the genetics and plant breeding methods are discussed in the chapter. A process was then set in motion by the industry to produce a small amount of NuSun oil for consumer testing. The results were positive, and after much discussion amongst various components of the sunflower industry, a decision was made to convert the industry from a high-linoleic sunflower oil to a mid-oleic (NuSun) sunflower oil. Future challenges and the outlook for NuSun oil are discussed.