World’s Fourth-Largest Vegetable Oil
Sunflower oil ranks as the world's fourth-largest vegetable oil by production, valued for its high linoleic acid content, light flavor, and heart-health benefits. Global annual production exceeds 22 million metric tons, with major producers in Ukraine, Russia, Argentina, and the European Union.
Huatai's sunflower oil production lines deliver complete EPC solutions covering every stage — from raw seed cleaning and dehulling, through pre-pressing and solvent extraction, to refining and winterization. Because sunflower oil contains natural waxes, winterization is essential for producing clear, cold-stable retail oil.
We offer flexible capacities from 20 TPD to 1,000 TPD. Each line is custom-engineered based on your sunflower seed variety (high-linoleic or high-oleic), hull content, and target oil grade. Our engineering team provides complete support from feasibility study to plant commissioning.
Sunflower Oil Production Steps
From raw sunflower oil to refined oil — a fully integrated process.
1. Cleaning
Raw sunflower seeds pass through magnetic separators, vibrating screens, and destoners to remove foreign materials — stems, dust, stones, and metal fragments.
2. Dehulling
Sunflower seeds are dehulled using impact dehullers and aspirators to separate hulls (24-28% of seed weight). Hull removal improves oil quality and reduces fiber in meal.
3. Cracking
Dehulled sunflower kernels (meats) are cracked into 4-6 pieces using corrugated-roll cracking mills to prepare for flaking.
4. Flaking
Cracked kernels are flaked to 0.30-0.35 mm thickness using smooth-roll flaking mills, rupturing oil cells for optimal extraction efficiency.
5. Conditioning
Flakes are conditioned with steam in a vertical cooker to 90-110°C, adjusting moisture to 7-9% for optimal pressing performance.
6. Pre-pressing
Conditioned flakes are pre-pressed in a continuous screw press to remove 55-65% of the oil, producing press cake with 15-20% residual oil for solvent extraction.
7. Solvent Extraction
Pre-pressed cake is extracted with hexane in a continuous chain or loop extractor using counter-current percolation, reducing residual oil in meal below 1.0%.
8. Refining
Crude sunflower oil is refined through degumming, neutralization, bleaching, and deodorization to produce clear, stable, fully refined sunflower oil.
9. Winterization
Refined oil is cooled gradually to 5-8°C to crystallize waxes, which are removed by filtration. Winterized sunflower oil remains clear at low temperatures, meeting retail quality standards.
Key Equipment Systems
Each system is designed and manufactured in-house under ISO 9001 quality management.
Pretreatment System
Magnetic separator, vibrating screen, destoner, impact dehuller with aspirator, cracking mill, flaking mill, and vertical conditioning cooker for continuous operation.
Pre-pressing & Extraction
Continuous screw pre-press followed by chain-type or loop-type extractor with counter-current hexane percolation, DTDC, and miscella evaporation system.
D.T.D.C. System
Multi-stage desolventizer-toaster-dryer-cooler for sunflower meal processing, producing high-protein meal (28-32% protein) for animal feed.
Refining System
Complete continuous refining line with degumming, neutralization, vacuum bleaching, and deodorization for fully refined sunflower oil.
Winterization Plant
Crystallization tanks with controlled cooling to 5-8°C, followed by membrane filter press for wax removal. Produces cold-stable retail-grade sunflower oil.
Technical Highlights
Engineering innovations that deliver superior performance and lower operating costs.
Integrated Winterization Technology
Our winterization system combines programmable crystallization with high-efficiency membrane filtration, removing 99% of waxes while minimizing oil loss to below 1.5%.
High-Protein Meal Production
Our DTDC system preserves sunflower meal protein content at 28-32%, producing premium feed ingredient valued by poultry and livestock feed manufacturers.
Energy-Efficient Extraction
Negative pressure miscella evaporation saves up to 30% steam versus conventional single-effect designs, while counter-current extraction achieves residual oil below 1.0% in meal.
China's Leading Grain & Oil Machinery Manufacturer
Henan Huatai Intelligent Equipment Group was founded in 1988 and has grown into one of China's major grain and oil machinery manufacturing enterprises. We integrate research and development, engineering design, equipment manufacturing, on-site installation and commissioning under one roof.
Our 100,000㎡ manufacturing campus in Hua County, Henan Province houses modern production lines with CNC machining centers, automated welding systems and comprehensive quality testing laboratories. As an ISO 9001 certified manufacturer, every piece of equipment undergoes rigorous inspection and factory acceptance testing before shipment.
We specialize in complete EPC turn-key projects covering the full spectrum of edible oil processing — from oilseed pretreatment and solvent extraction through to refining, fractionation and by-product utilization.
38+
Years of Experience
100,000 m²
Modern Factory
70+
Countries Served
22
Global Offices
Get Your Customized Sunflower Oil Plant Solution
Tell us your target capacity and target product grade (refined or winterized). Our engineers will prepare a tailored proposal within 48 hours.