Sunflower for Confectionery Food, Birdfood, and Petfood

This chapter discusses the processing, quality determination, preservation, and uses of nonoilseed sunflower. Moisture percentage and temperature affect the quality of sunflower seed in storage. "In-shell" sunflower seed is considered of high quality if it meets the following criteria: relatively large, uniform seed; a large kernel surrounded by a smooth, loose hull with bright white stripes on black back ground color. Prior to hulling, seed is passed through an air separation chamber to remove foreign matter of similar size, shape, and specific gravity to sunflower seed. The seed is hulled in a drum-shaped chamber. Sunflower meal is a high protein byproduct, especially of oilseed sunflower, which is nutritious and valuable for human food or livestock feed. Small sunflower seeds which pass through a 7.1 mm round-hole sieve generally are used for birdfeed, either pure or in various blends. Blends contain different percentages of nonoilseed sunflower, oilseed sunflower, wheat, oat, corn, proso millet, and/or grain sorghum.