Sunflower - a whimsical and tender plant. It needs a special technology of cultivation, and the harvest - in special storage conditions.
In seeds known from childhood, at high temperatures and humidity, the chemical composition of fats, and then proteins, may change first, which will turn them into a completely useless and tasteless product.
Why sunflower seeds are stored poorly
Sunflower seeds are not easy to store for two main reasons:
- Tendency to self-warming. This amazing feature manifests itself if the harvest is left in unfavorable conditions for him for only a few hours. The catalysts are excess humidity and temperature. The high oil content inside the seed will speed up the process.
When the internal temperature of the seeds rises to 25 degrees, their quality remains unchanged. But then its growth is possible up to 40 or more, which leads to the rapid development of microorganisms and thermophilic bacteria. They turn sunflower seeds into a bitter, inedible product with a musty smell. They will have to throw it away.
- The seeds that are filled in the baskets ripen unevenly, since they differ in size, maturity and humidity. If they are not quickly dried, the fruits of sunflower will disappear.
Drying Sunflower Seeds Before Storage
The first step in preserving seeds is to dry them. This procedure will help to preserve the nutritional value of the fruit of the sunflower for a long time and protect it from damage. For drying, you can use:
- Special dryers. If there are a lot of seeds, then this method is the most suitable. The devices have different modes that allow to take into account the moisture content of the fruit, and the content of oil in them.
- Electric drier. At home she is useful. Sunflower seeds are processed in it from a quarter of an hour to twenty minutes at a temperature of 50-80 degrees. Duration depends on the moisture of the fruit.
- Oven. Seeds are dried on a baking sheet to the desired state at a temperature of 130-150 degrees for twenty or twenty five minutes. The oven door must remain ajar.
- Fresh air. To dry the seeds you need, spreading them in a thin layer on gauze or paper. If the day is warm and sunny, the product will be ready in three to four hours. Seeds must be periodically mixed to dry evenly.
It is easiest to dry the fruits of the sunflower directly on the stem. But this is only possible when the weather is dry and sunny for a long time.
If there is a lot of rubbish and dirt in the seeds, then before drying, it is advisable to rinse them thoroughly in cold running water. For such a procedure, you can use a colander.
Storage of sunflower seeds
After drying, sunflower seeds are laid out in paper bags or fabric bags. Polyethylene containers can not be used: in it the product will quickly go rancid. Packages or bags filled with sunflower seeds can be placed:
- In a dry and cool room. Ideal storage conditions: temperature up to 10 degrees; humidity - 7%. In such premises, seeds can be stored for up to six months.
- In the refrigerator in places reserved for vegetables with fruit. Seeds will remain in good condition for up to a year. In the freezer send them not worth it.
How to store roasted and peeled sunflower seeds
After drying, you can:
- Fry.
- Cool.
- Spread out in an airtight container.
- Send to the fridge.
In it, roasted seeds can lie from several weeks to one and a half months. But in such a product only about 10% of the useful substances remain. The remaining 90% are destroyed by frying.
Peeled fruits of sunflower should also be stored in a refrigerator in a paper bag. They can stay fresh for no more than three months.
Sunflower sunflower seeds are more rational to keep unpeeled and raw. So that they do not lose their taste, benefit the body, you need to protect the fruit from excessive moisture and heat.
