How should sunflower oil be transported?

On our website we have plenty of information about the qualities and service we provide for the transport of olive oil, of which Spain is the world's leading producer, exceeding one million three hundred thousand tonnes per year. However, the truth is that for some time now, most probably influenced by the rise in olive oil prices, sunflower oil has closed the gap in sales and consequently this change in consumption has also been felt in transport.

In the sunflower oil scenario, we are left with just under half a million tonnes per year, with Ukraine as the world's largest producer. However, as we said before, the movement of sunflower oil experienced a very notable growth during 2024 due to the rise in prices following the poor olive harvest.

The care to be taken into account when transporting sunflower oil is quite similar to that of olive oil, as it is an oil for food use, in which we must avoid certain scenarios such as oxidation of the product, which undergoes chemical changes on contact with air that could cause deterioration in its quality. In this way, we load, transport and unload the oil, minimising its exposure to air and at a low temperature so that its resistance to oxidation is greater. It is also important throughout the process to avoid exposure and contact with metals such as copper or iron, which would also increase the oxidation process.

The stable maintenance of the temperature and the complete cleaning and drying of the tanks are essential to avoid processes such as hydrolysis (decomposition of fats into fatty acids) or the proliferation of microorganisms.

All the washing tasks carried out before and after each load guarantee the absence of cross-contamination and at Rios Sangiao we keep a record of the cleaning carried out in each tank, its location and its certification.

In our stainless steel isothermal tanks exclusively for food products, the transport of sunflower oil is carried out maintaining the quality of the product that enters the tank until it is unloaded.