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With consumers increasingly seeking healthier options for home cooking, seed oils are under scrutiny for their nutritional value, ingredients and refining processes. Frederic Lebourg, chief executive officer of Fresh Press Farms, a producer of cold-pressed artisanal oils, discusses with FoodBev how processing methods can shape consumer perception and help health-conscious shoppers make better choices.

In the food and beverage manufacturing industry, few ingredients have sparked more debate in recent years than seed oils. Once considered a kitchen staple, many seed oils are now under scrutiny due to concerns about their processing methods and nutritional impact. But as with many trends in health and wellness, the full picture is more nuanced, and important distinctions often get lost in the noise.

Crop quality vs production methods

Many food companies have spent the past few years working to better understand this category, particularly how seed oils are grown, pressed and refined – or left unrefined. It’s time to separate fact from fiction: not all seed oils are created equal, and often the processing method has a greater impact on quality than the source crop itself.

Take sunflower oil, for example. It can be obtained from regular high-yield seeds or from high-oleic seeds. Regular seeds yield an oil rich in saturated fat (between 15% and 17%!), which is the most harmful type of fat to consume, as it increases bad cholesterol. On the opposite side, high oleic seeds produce an oil containing only 3-5% of saturated fat.

Furthermore, high oleic sunflower oil contains mostly monounsaturated fat. According to the Mayo Clinic, monounsaturated fat from plants has been proven to decrease bad cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides in the blood, while raising good cholesterol (LDL) and therefore promoting cardiovascular health.

But fatty acid profiles only tell part of the story. The production process plays a critical role in determining the nutritional and functional value of the final product. Many commercial seed oils are extracted using high heat and chemical solvents, then refined, bleached and deodorised to extend shelf life and remove flavour.

While this approach creates a uniform, neutral product, it wipes the oil of beneficial compounds such as vitamins and introduces oxidative free radicals that can be harmful. Refining is a way of transforming low-quality oils into marketable oils that otherwise would be considered rancid (high free fatty acid) or present a bad taste.

Cold pressing offers an alternative. This method involves mechanically extracting oil at low temperatures, preserving more of the oil’s natural nutrients and minimising oxidative stress. The slower extraction time yields less volume, but we believe it results in a cleaner, better-tasting and healthier product.

Sourcing also plays a crucial role. By creating optimal growing conditions for crops like sunflowers and managing every step of production onsite – from seed to bottle – producers can maintain tighter control over quality and traceability. This vertically integrated approach is increasingly important for manufacturers seeking transparency in their supply chains.

Meeting nutritional targets

From a formulation standpoint, high-oleic sunflower oil presents an opportunity to meet both functional and nutritional targets. Its high smoke point and nutty flavour make it versatile in a range of applications, from snacks and baked goods to dressings and sauces, while its fat profile supports better-for-you positioning.

Of course, the seed oil conversation is ever evolving. While it is easy to group all oils from seeds under a single umbrella, science shows that this category is far more diverse. For manufacturers and product developers, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity: the challenge of navigating consumer perceptions, and the opportunity to rethink ingredient selection through a more informed lens.

Ultimately, the goal is not to defend seed oils as a whole, but to encourage a more accurate and science-based view of what they are and what they can be. With better sourcing, thoughtful processing, and clearer communication, seed oils have a place in the future of food.