S.C. CRIS OIL 2002 S.A.
Address: Sos Constantei, Nr. 8 D Bis,
Medgidia, Constanta, Romania
Contact e-mail: office@crisoil.ro
Phone: (004) (0341) 881 668;
Fax: (004) (0341)881 667
A flower that mimics the sun
Sunflower was mentioned in the immortal legends and stories from generation to generation, was painted by famous artists and ended to find a practical uses. Retrieved from overseas, sunflower oil is part of our daily diet
Legends of the sun. In Greek mythology, legend says that one of the beautiful nymphs of oak - Clyde, was in love with Apollo, god of the sun. Apollo, however, does not share his love of beautiful nymphs who spent days, from sunrise until sunset, gazing at her beloved Sun. One day a miracle happened. Nymph legs turned to strain, her face turned into a beautiful flower and hair turned in large yellow petals.
Since that day, Clyde is looking for the sun, turning his face after him when rising and still sets. The Romanian fairy tales are immortal and said that the Sunflower is actually the older sister of the Sun, entrusted with the care of younger brother for eternity. Legend says that one day, two children flaxen headed through were playing in the woods, away from home . They met with Mother Of The Sky, which has no children, and seeing the boy so beautiful, loved him so much that took him,up to heaven to enlighten her days and to all the people . Returned home without smaller brother, the mother of two children cursed the little girl not to ever escape from her brother's eye. Since then, she returns after the sun and the smile of his rays.
Practical uses. Sunflower was brought to the Americas, being first used in Mexico and Mississippi Valley. Aztecs, Incas, Otomii has been the first to use this flower as a symbol of solar and later, in the eighteenth century, the consumption of sunflower is expanded in Europe. Today, we enjoy many kinds of sunflower oil seeds - refined, cold pressed - used mainly in food. Refined sunflower oil is rich in A vitamin and has the highest content of vitamin E of all oils used in cooking. Sunflower oil cold pressed is indicated to the people who have increased cholesterol or suffering from atherosclerosis. Besides the benefits of sunflower oil seeds, this flower is today, other symbols also: the national flower of the U.S. state Kansas and is frequently used as a symbol of green ideology. And ... is one of the hallmarks of the great Van Gogh.
CRIS OIL
History of the Amazing Sunflower
The story of sunflower (Helianthus Annuus ) is indeed amazing. The wild sunflower is native to North America but commercialization of the plant took place in Russia. It was only recently that the sunflower plant returned to North America to become a cultivated crop. But it was the American Indian who first domesticated the plant into a single headed plant with a variety of seed colors including black, white, red, and black/white striped. American Indian Uses Sunflower was a common crop among American Indian tribes throughout North America.
Evidence suggests that the plant was cultivated by Indians in present-day Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. Some archaeologists suggest that sunflower may have been domesticated before corn. Sunflower was used in many ways throughout the various Indian tribes. Seed was ground or pounded into flour for cakes, mush or bread. Some tribes mixed the meal with other vegetables such as beans, squash, and corn. The seed was also cracked and eaten for a snack. There are references of squeezing the oil from the seed and using the oil in making bread. Non-food uses include purple dye for textiles, body painting and other decorations.
Parts of the plant were used medicinally ranging from snakebite to other body ointments. The oil of the seed was used on the skin and hair. The dried stalk was used as a building material. The plant and the seeds were widely used in ceremonies. European Developments This exotic North American plant was taken to Europe by Spanish explorers some time around 1500. The plant became widespread throughout present-day Western Europe mainly as an ornamental, but some medicinal uses were developed.
By 1716, an English patent was granted for squeezing oil from sunflower seed. Sunflower became very popular as a cultivated plant in the 18th century. Most of the credit is given to Peter the Great. The plant was initially used as an ornamental, but by 1769 literature mentions sunflower cultivated by oil production. By 1830, the manufacture of sunflower oil was done on a commercial scale. The Russian Orthodox Church increased its popularity by forbidding most oil foods from being consumed during Lent.
However, sunflower was not on the prohibited list and therefore gained in immediate popularity as a food. By the early 19th century, Russian farmers were growing over 2 million acres of sunflower. During that time, two specific types had been identified: oil-type for oil production and a large variety for direct human consumption. Government research programs were implemented. V. S. Pustovoit developed a very successful breeding program at Krasnodar. Oil contents and yields were increased significantly. Today, the world's most prestigious sunflower scientific award is known as The Pustovoit Award. Sunflower Back to North America By the late 19th century, Russian sunflower seed found its way into the US. By 1880, seed companies were advertising the 'Mammoth Russian' sunflower seed in catalogues.
This particular seed name was still being offered in the US in 1970, nearly 100 years later. A likely source of this seed movement to North America may have been Russian immigrants. The first commercial use of the sunflower crop in the US was silage feed for poultry. In 1926, the Missouri Sunflower Growers' Association participated in what is likely the first processing of sunflower seed into oil. Canada started the first official government sunflower breeding program in 1930. The basic plant breeding material utilized came from Mennonite (immigrants from Russia) gardens. Acreage spread because of oil demand. By 1946, Canadian farmers built a small crushing plant. Acreage spread into Minnesota and North Dakota. In 1964, the Government of Canada licensed the Russian cultivar called Peredovik.
This seed produced high yields and high oil content. Acreage increased in the US with commercial interest in the production of sunflower oil. Sunflower was hybridized in the middle seventies providing additional yield and oil enhancement as well as disease resistance. Back to Europe U.S. acreage escalated in the late 70's to over 5 million because of strong European demand for sunflower oil. This European demand had been stimulated by Russian exports of sunflower oil in the previous decades. During this time, animal fats such as beef tallow for cooking were negatively impacted by cholesterol concerns. However, the Russians could no longer supply the growing demand, and European companies looked to the fledging U.S. industry. Europeans imported sunflower seed that was then crushed in European mills. Western Europe continues to be a large consumer of sunflower oil today, but depends on its own production. U.S. exports to Europe of sunflower oil or seed for crushing is quite small. Summary The native North American sunflower plant has finally come back home after a very circuitous route. It is the Native Americans and the Russians who completed the early plant genetics and the North Americans who put the finishing touches on it in the form of hybridization.
Those early ancestors would quickly recognize their contributions to today's commercial sunflower if they were here. The reference for this summary was taken from: Albert A. Schneiter, ed. Sunflower Technology and Production, (The American Society of Agronomy No. 35, 1997) 1-19.
MANUFACTURER AND EXPORTER OF HIGH QUALITY SUNFLOWER OIL IMPORTERS OF SUNFLOWER OIL Unrefined IMPORTERS OF SUNFLOWER SEEDS
As long as you're using fats and oils sparingly in your cooking and preparation, it would be fine to use any one of the following "good" oils. All of the following oils are low in saturated fats and trans fats. Some have high concentration of monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Choose corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, soy oil or canola oil if you wish to fry foods as these oils have higher smoke point. It is best not to fry with olive oil as its smoke point is only about 190C/375F.
Good Cooking Oils:
canola oil
flax seed oil
peanut oil
olive oil
sunflower oil
non-hydrogenated soft margarine
safflower oil
corn oil
The following "bad" oils contain high percentage of trans fat or saturated fats. Some, such as coconut oil, even contain more saturated fats than animal products!
Bad Cooking Oils:
Vegetable shortening
Hard margarine
Butter
Palm oil
Palm kernel oil
Coconut oil