Sunflower seeds are one of many types of seeds used in food and feed production. In a typical production setup, you divide non-oil sunflower seeds into three categories according to size. Large seeds (in-shell) are roasted, salted, and packed for human consumption as snacks. Medium-sized seeds are de-hulled and packed for human consumption as well, mainly for the baking industry as an ingredient or garnish. The small seeds become feed for birds. A seed sizing machine will be of great help to size them according.

You can add a solvent, like hexane, to extract more oil out of the cake after pressing. Then you remove the solvent by boiling the oil using steam in a stripping column where it vaporizes. As it condenses, it is collected at the same time. Next step is to refine the oil by adding sodium hydroxide and then separating it using a centrifuge. The oil undergoes degumming and removal of wax by winterization process or cooling. Then put the oil in a bleacher pressure vessel and steam injection process to remove odors and give a clear or transparent color. Finally, measure the oil and pack it in containers. Refined sunflower oil is mainly used for high heat cooking as it is more stable in a wide temperature range.