Oilseed cakes are produced as a by-product of oil pressing and are mostly used as feed. Their use for human consumption is due to the functional properties and benefits for human health. Herein, oilseed cake flours of eight species (flax, hemp, milk thistle, poppy, pumpkin, rapeseed, safflower, sunflower) were sieved into fractions above (A250) and below (B250) 250 µm. The chemical composition, SDS-PAGE profiles, colour, functional properties and antioxidant activities of these flours were evaluated. The B250 fractions were evaluated as being protein and ash rich, reaching crude protein and ash content ranging from 31.78% (milk thistle) to 57.47% (pumpkin) and from 5.0% (flax) to 11.19% (poppy), respectively. A high content of carbohydrates was found in the flours of hemp, milk thistle and safflower with a significant increase for the A250 fraction, with a subsequent relation to a high water holding capacity (WHC) for the A250 fraction (flax, poppy, pumpkin and sunflower). The A250 milk thistle flour was found to have the richest in polyphenols content (TPC) (40.89 mg GAE/g), with the highest antioxidant activity using an ABTS•+ assay (101.95 mg AAE/g). The A250 fraction for all the species exhibited lower lightness than the B250 fraction. The obtained results indicate that sieving oilseed flour with the aim to prepare flours with specific functional characteristics and composition is efficient only in combination with a particular species.

In the quality monitoring of 18 sunflower oil samples from the EU market, 14 were refined and 4 were cold-pressed. They demonstrated high quality of technological processing with low values of trans-unsaturated fatty acids, acid value, and peroxide value and also met the limits set by legislation in the content of process contaminants 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) esters and glycidyl esters. Measurements of oxidative stability showed a difference in utility value. The average induction period of the oils from the traditional varieties was 2.6 h, predisposing them to cold cooking or short-term frying, while the 11.8 h of the four high oleic sunflower oils (HOSO) indicates the possibility of long-term heat stress. The nutritional benefit is the average vitamin E content of 663 mg/kg oil. The overall sensory quality of the samples was evaluated by a 12-member panel of trained assessors. On the seven-point category scale, the oils were of good to exceptional quality. The cold-pressed oils (CPOs) differed in having, on average, lower trans-unsaturated fatty acid content, process contaminants at unmeasurable levels, and, on average, higher vitamin E concentrations. The specific organoleptic properties of the CPOs were characterized by a pleasant nutty and sunflower seed flavor.

The present study evaluates the impact of cavitation on the performance of the chemical refining of rapeseed oils and the enzymatic interesterification of fat blends using a powerful UP400S ultrasonicator (400 W, 20 kHz). Ultrasound-assisted alkali neutralization achieved efficiency comparable to that of the conventional 60 min process in only 7 min, with similar refining losses (5.04–6.80 wt.%), although slightly higher lipid peroxidation was observed. Performing the ultrasound cavitation under a protective nitrogen atmosphere minimized the formation of lipid peroxides and their breakdown products (i.e., hexanal, nonanal), partially protected tocopherols, and improved oxidative stability (IP at 120 °C = 3.9–4.4 h). Ultrasound-assisted enzymatic interesterification (EIE) of palm kernel fat and a palm stearin blend catalyzed by immobilized lipases (Lipozyme TL IM, Lipozyme RM IM, Novozyme 435) was carried out for the first time. Cavitation accelerated triacylglycerol rearrangement, reduced reaction time from 6 h (9.0·10⁻³ to 1.6·10⁻² min⁻¹) to only 1 h (5.5·10⁻² to 1.2·10⁻¹ min⁻¹), and significantly affected melting point stabilization and solid fat content profile. In summary, ultrasound cavitation substantially enhanced mass transfer and reaction kinetics, demonstrating strong potential for process intensification in the edible oil industry. Further optimization of reaction conditions is required before large-scale industrial implementation.