Advances in Sunflower Seed Oil: Intelligent Quality Evaluation, Processing Innovations, and Component Analysis

Sunflower seed oil, recognized as a significant edible oil, has emerged as a focal point in contemporary research owing to its unique nutritional composition and functional attributes. In recent years, substantial advancements have been made in intelligent quality assessment methodologies for raw materials, novel extraction technologies, and targeted investigations of constituents. This review systematically analyzes the mechanisms and applications of the basic quality of sunflower seed raw materials, conventional oil extraction techniques, emerging preparation technologies (aqueous enzymatic method), and auxiliary processes (microwave/ultrasound/pulsed electric field-assisted extraction). It focuses on elucidating the structural characteristics of nutrients such as triglycerides and fatty acids in sunflower seed oil and the distribution of flavor and bioactive components, as well as the novel formation mechanisms of potential harmful substances, and summarizes its high-value applications in the food industry while clarifying the development directions for industrial innovation. The precise characterization of sunflower seeds attributes was accomplished through an integrated "intelligent representation-quality analysis-suitability assessment" framework. Contemporary oil extraction technology has evolved into a diversified paradigm encompassing "green upgrading of traditional processes, breakthroughs in emerging technologies, and synergistic auxiliary technologies." The biosynthetic pathways of bioactive constituents, formation mechanisms of harmful substances, and critical regulatory nodes have been systematically identified, demonstrating their substantial potential across diverse application domains. This article endeavors to provide rigorous theoretical foundations for breakthroughs in fundamental research and the industrial transformation of sunflower seed oil, thereby facilitating high-quality innovative development within the industry.