Cereal Chem 63:85-88   |  VIEW ARTICLE
Storage Studies on Confectionery Sunflower Kernels.

M. O. Buendia and B. L. D'Appolonia. Copyright 1986 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Two studies were conducted to examine the physical and chemical characteristics of dehulled confectionery sunflower kernels during storage. The first study dealt with recently harvested, unroasted and roasted kernels packaged in cellophane bags. The bagged samples were stored at 75 and 35 F for 27 weeks. Under these storage conditions, one portion of the samples was exposed to regular fluorescent lighting found in a typical commercial building, and the other portion was kept in the dark. At three-week intervals, portions of the samples were removed for analysis. Moisture content, test weight, color, firmness, oil content, free fatty acid, and peroxide value (PV) were analyzed. The second study utilized the same lot of sunflower kernels packaged in metallized, laminated material under a nitrogen atmosphere. The bagged samples were stored at 75 F for 18 weeks. In the first study, the values for the parameters analyzed were similar for storage under light or dark conditions, whereas temperature had a marked effect. PV in oil from roasted kernels and free fatty acid in unroasted kernels increased with storage time. The effect was most pronounced at the storage temperature of 75 F. An unpleasant aroma was evident with the roasted kernels having a PV of 135 meq/kg. In the second study the physical and chemical characteristics, with the exception of PV, were similar to those found for the first study (75 F). PV for the roasted kernels did not show any significant increase with storage. After storage for 18 weeks, the roasted kernels still possessed good quality characteristics.