Melting and crystallization properties
Figure 1 and Table 2 show melting properties of silflower and sunflower oils. Melting and crystallization properties of silflower oil were similar to those of sunflower oil reflecting the similar fatty acid composition. Silflower oil had broader and wider melting peaks than sunflower oil, which might be caused by its higher TPC (Huang & Sathivel, 2010). The predominant type of triacylglycerol of sunflower oil is LLL (L = linoleic acid) since the major fatty acid in sunflower oil is linoleic acid (Tan & Che Man, 2000). Therefore, the major melting and crystallization peaks of silflower and sunflower oils are likely attributed to the melting and crystallization of LLL.