Is Sunflower Oil Acidic or Alkaline?
Sunflower oil (raw) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Sunflower oil sits at 0.0, which makes it neutral. It's pure fat, with no protein, phosphorus or potassium. The seeds themselves are strongly acid-forming at +11.9, but pressing leaves all the minerals behind in the press cake. So for your acid balance, it makes no difference whether you cook with sunflower, rapeseed or soybean oil.
In the Oils & Fats category, sunflower oil (raw) ranks #4 of 22, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Sesame oil (−0.2), Margarine (−0.4), Margarine, half-fat (−1.3). More acid-forming are Cottonseed oil (0.0), Peanut oil (0.0), Pumpkin seed oil (0.0).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sunflower oil acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Sunflower oil (raw) has a PRAL of 0.0 per 100 ml, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does sunflower oil count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At 0.0 per 100 ml, sunflower oil is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Sunflower Oil logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Oils & Fats: Oils & Fats table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.