Rice Bran Oil Vs. Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil and rice bran oil are two types of vegetable oil, which is a family of edible, plant-based cooking oils. Sunflower oil is one of the more commonly used cooking oils in North America, along with other vegetable oils such as canola, olive, corn and soybean. Though not as common in North America, rice bran oil is a staple in East Asian cooking and can be found at most major supermarkets.

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil is produced from sunflower seeds and is used in cosmetics, as a source of biodiesel fuel and in cooking. As a cooking oil, sunflower oil is available in four major varieties: high stearic/high oleic, high oleic, high linoleic and mid-oleic or NuSun. Differing in their amounts of linoleic, stearic and oleic fatty acids, each of these varieties comes with a different flavor palate and range of uses.

Sunflower Oil Varieties

High stearic/high oleic sunflower oil is the newest addition to the sunflower oil family. It is created from a hybrid of seeds and is meanto serve as a replacement for solid oils, such as those used in margarine, ice cream and chocolate. This variety contains 18 percent stearic acid, 72 percent oleic acid, 5 percent linoleic acid and 5 percent assorted saturated fats. With a combined 23 percent saturated fat from its stearic acid and assorted saturates content, and little of the essential linoleic fatty acid, this variety is composed primarily of saturated fats and monounsaturated fats in the form of oleic acid.

High oleic sunflower oil is a naturally bred, nearly flavorless oil. Containing 82 percent oleic acid, 9 percent linoleic acid and 9 percent saturated fats, this variety is composed primarily of monounsaturated fats with little saturated fat content.

NuSun sunflower oil is another naturally bred variety that now accounts for the majority of the sunflower oil market. Stable for use in cooking and nearly flavorless like the high oleic variety, this oil has the most balanced fat profile of the sunflower oils, with 26 percent linoleic acid, 65 percent oleic acid and 9 percent saturated fats.

High linoleic sunflower oil is the oldest of the four varieties, though it is no longer as widely produced in North America. It contains 68 percent linoleic acid, 21 percent oleic acid and 11 percent saturated fat, giving it the highest essential fatty acid content of any sunflower oil variety.

Rice Bran Oil

Rice bran oil is a nut-flavored, highly stable oil made from the outer shell, or bran, of dehusked rice. Due to rice bran oil's ability to remain stable at high heats and the widespread availability of rice throughout East Asia, rice bran oil is a staple in traditional East Asian cuisine. Containing 39 percent linoleic acid, 43 percent oleic acid and 18 percent saturated fatty acids, rice bran oil has a balance of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats despite its high saturated fat content.

Sunflower Oil vs. Rice Bran Oil

Due to the varieties of sunflower oil available, it is a more versatile cooking oil than rice bran oil. Compared with NuSun, rice bran oil has double the saturated fat content, higher polyunsaturated fat content and a lower percentage of monounsaturated fat. This naturally high saturated fat content makes rice bran oil more stable at room temperature, resulting in a longer shelf life than that of sunflower oil.

As rice bran oil has the highest smoke point of any vegetable oil, it is better suited to cooking at high heats and is less likely to bind with foods, making food cooked with rice bran oil less greasy than that cooked with sunflower oil. Due to its rich, nutty taste, rice bran oil may be preferred where additional flavor is desired. When preparing dishes at lower temperatures that you do not want to have altered by the flavor of the cooking oil, neutral-tasting sunflower oil may be a better choice.