ANALYSIS OF SUNFLOWER OIL SOLD IN THE NORTHEAST OF ROMANIA

G.V. Hoha, C.E. Nistor, Elena Costăchescu, B. Păsărin

Abstract
   One of the most widely consumed oil from Europe is sunflower oil. All european countries are cultivating sunflowers, but due to increased sunflower oil consumption, we rely on imports, the biggest coming from the Black Sea region, especially Russia and Ukraine. The main problems of quality on sunflower oil are contamination and oxidation (rancidity). Sunflower oil has a relatively high oxidative stability (resulting a long shelf life), but the stability depends on the quality of seeds, the seed treatment before extraction, extraction methods and processing conditions. The purpose of this paper is to determine the quality of sunflower oils marketed in northeastern of Romania. Samples were collected from different manufacturers, from various points of sale. In addition to the sensory analysis, were determined the following physico-chemical parameters: density, moisture content, acidity, saponification value, the color of iodine, peroxide, impurities contained in the organic solvent. We can conclude that all the samples analyzed are within current standards imposed by EU legislation.

Key words: oil, sunflower, quality, Romania