CHLOROGENIC ACID REMOVAL DURING AQUEOUS P ROCESSING OF SUNFLOWER KERNELS

The effect of incorporating specific stages to remove phenolic compoun ds during aqueous processing of sunflower, to obtain oil of good quali ty and meal of light color was studied. The aqueous process removes 88 % of the chlorogenic acid initially present in the kernels; this valu e is overpassed with the two modifications proposed, being the diffusi on of the deffated paste with hot water at short intervals the most ef ficient (98.6 %), although protein solubility is reduced in 9 %. If th e diffusion step is performed from half kernels, the chlorogenic acid content is reduced in 93.7 %, without affecting protein solubility. Pr otein digestibility is enhanced after applying any of the two proposed diffusion steps.