Virgin cold-pressed kusuma oil
Single-pressed from native variety safflower seeds, grown by farmers around Zaheerabad in Telangana and in Karnataka.
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Safflower, kusuma in Telugu, is a hardy winter crop of the Deccan. Our seeds come from farmers around Zaheerabad in Telangana and in Karnataka who still grow native varieties. We press them once, at low temperature, and let the oil settle naturally before bottling.
The result is a light, pale oil with a clean, mild taste for everyday cooking, and the same oil we supply for an ICMR-funded newborn care study.
What we're cooking
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Everyday cooking at medium heat. Its light, neutral taste suits tadkas, sautéing, shallow frying, dosas and dressings.
Use it fresh. Like other oils rich in polyunsaturated fat, it's best not reheated again and again for deep frying.
Try it raw. The mild taste works in salads like kosambari.
Native variety safflower seeds from farmers around Zaheerabad, Telangana, and in Karnataka are cleaned and pressed once, at low temperature, in our single-press machines. The oil rests so the fine particles settle, then it's sieve-filtered and bottled. No refining, bleaching or deodorising.
Ingredients: 100% cold-pressed safflower oil from native variety safflower seeds. Nothing added.
Storage: keep the bottle closed, at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and humidity.
Shelf life: 18 months from the date of manufacture, backed by an accelerated shelf-life study. See the results further down this page.
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Map: DataMeet India, CC BY 4.0. Boundaries as per the Survey of India.
Safflower, kusuma in Telugu and kusube in Kannada, has long been grown as a winter crop across the Deccan plateau.
The crop
Safflower is a hardy crop of the Deccan. Farmers sow it after the monsoon and it grows through the cooler months on moisture stored in the soil, needing little irrigation. Its bright orange flowers give way to spiny seed heads.
The region
Our seeds come from farmers around Zaheerabad, in Telangana's Sangareddy district close to the Karnataka border, and from farmers in Karnataka who still grow native safflower varieties.
The farmers
For over two decades, Laxmibai has grown safflower on her family farm in the Deccan. The crop is harvested by hand, naturally dried and carefully sorted before its seeds are pressed.
From field to press
We clean the seeds and press them once at low temperature. The oil rests so the fine particles settle, then it's sieve-filtered and bottled.
Newborn care research
Study under way · 2025–2027
Nune's cold-pressed safflower oil is the oil used in EmollientVLBW, a study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and led by the Community Empowerment Lab (CEL), Lucknow.
The study is looking at whether gentle oil massage improves survival and health for very low birth weight babies cared for in hospital newborn units. We pack the oil in 100 ml bottles for the participating hospitals across India.
The study is ongoing and its results are not yet published. For a newborn, especially one born early or small, follow your doctor's advice on oil massage.
Farm to kitchen
Bought directly from farmers who still grow native safflower varieties.
The seeds go through our cold press a single time. We bottle the oil from that one pass.
Rested for 2–5 days, sieve-filtered, lab-tested and packed in glass, tin or PET.
Accelerated shelf-life study
Safflower oil is rich in polyunsaturated fat, which makes it more delicate than most oils. So we kept sealed 500 ml packs at 40°C and 75% humidity for six months, conditions that age oil far faster than a kitchen shelf, and tested them along the way. The lab found no significant change from day one and set the oil's shelf life at 18 months from manufacture.
| Parameter | After 6 months at 40°C | Day 0 | FSSAI requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acid value | 1.38 | 0.85 | 6.0 max |
| Iodine value | 146 | 144 | 135 – 148 |
| Saponification value | 195 | 192 | 186 – 196 |
| Unsaponifiable matter (%) | 0.78 | 0.72 | 1.0 max |
| Refractive index at 40°C | 1.4682 | 1.4680 | 1.4674 – 1.4689 |
| Butyro-refractometer reading at 40°C | 63.5 | 63.2 | 62.4 – 64.7 |
| Rancidity | Absent | Absent | Must be absent |
| Argemone oil | Negative | Negative | Must be negative |
| Mineral oil | Absent | Absent | Must be absent |
| Polyunsaturated fat, PUFA (%) | 73.75 | 74.18 | – |
| Oleic acid (%) | 16.09 | 15.52 | – |
| Saturated fat (%) | 9.49 | 9.80 | – |
| Trans fat | Below 0.01% | Below 0.01% | – |
| Hexane (solvent residue) | Below 1 mg/kg | Below 1 mg/kg | – |
Acid value rises slowly as any oil ages; after six months at 40°C it was 1.38, far below FSSAI's limit of 6.0. Also tested on day 0: arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, tin and aflatoxins were all below the lab's quantification limits.
What we're cooking
Everyday Deccan dishes that suit a light, mild oil.
The everyday Telangana dal: toor dal cooked with tomatoes and finished with a garlicky tadka.
Karnataka's crunchy moong dal and cucumber salad, finished with a light tempering.
A simple Telugu okra stir-fry, cooked on medium heat until tender and lightly crisp.
How it compares
Cold-pressed kusuma oil next to the refined oils on most shelves.
| Compare |
 Nune single-pressed
|
Refined safflower oil
|
Refined sunflower oil
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds | Native varieties from Zaheerabad & Karnataka farmers | Rarely stated | Rarely stated |
| How the oil comes out | Pressed once at low temperature, no solvent | Often solvent-extracted, then refined | Often solvent-extracted, then refined |
| Refined, bleached or deodorised | Never | Yes | Yes |
| Taste and aroma | Light, natural seed flavour | Neutral, flavour removed | Neutral, flavour removed |
| Added antioxidants | None | May contain permitted antioxidants | May contain permitted antioxidants |
| Shelf-life study on the page | Yes, see above | Varies by brand | Varies by brand |
Refining removes flavour and colour, along with some of the natural vitamin E and other minor compounds from the seed. Cold pressing keeps them in the bottle.
Independently tested
We also sent samples of our safflower oil to Equinox Labs, an independent lab, for FSSAI quality checks and a nutrition analysis. Every parameter they tested against FSSAI's limits was within them.
| Parameter | Nune result | FSSAI limit | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acid value | 0.25 | Max 6.0 | Freshness: the lower it is, the less the oil has broken down |
| Saponification value | 189.56 | 186 – 196 | Identity: in range for safflower oil |
| Iodine value | 136.93 | 135 – 148 | Identity: in range for safflower oil |
| Unsaponifiable matter (g/100 g) | 0.61 | Max 1.0 | Purity: within the limit for safflower oil |
| Refractive index | 1.4679 | 1.4674 – 1.4689 | Identity: in range for safflower oil |
| Energy (per 100 g) | 899 kcal | – | Nutrition |
| Total fat (per 100 g) | 99.91 g | – | Nutrition |
| Saturated fat (per 100 g) | 11.15 g | – | Nutrition |
| Monounsaturated fat, MUFA (per 100 g) | 7.58 g | – | Nutrition |
| Polyunsaturated fat, PUFA (per 100 g) | 81.18 g | – | Nutrition |
| Trans fat (per 100 g) | Below 0.1 g (BLQ) | – | Nutrition |
| Cholesterol (per 100 g) | Below 1 mg (BLQ) | – | Nutrition |
| Protein, carbohydrate and sugar | Below quantification limits | – | Nutrition |
| Sodium (per 100 g) | 0.85 mg | – | Nutrition |
Quality results: one sample tested in June 2023 (report EQNX:001:LAB:F:23:06:00464). Nutrition per 100 g: one sample tested in March 2023 (reports EQNX:001:LAB:F:23:03:03798 A and B). Values vary a little from batch to batch.
Why Nune
Six things people ask about our kusuma oil.
It starts with native variety safflower seeds bought directly from farmers around Zaheerabad, Telangana, and in Karnataka. We press them once at low temperature, let the oil settle naturally and test every batch. Nothing is added and nothing is refined away.
Kusuma is the Telugu name for safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), the thistle-like plant with bright orange flowers that has long been grown across the Deccan. Its seeds give a light, pale oil.
From farmers around Zaheerabad in Telangana and in Karnataka who still grow native safflower varieties. Buying from them directly helps keep these seeds in the ground.
Its shelf life is 18 months from the date of manufacture. Safflower oil is rich in polyunsaturated fat, mostly linoleic acid, which makes it more delicate than most oils, so we had this backed by an accelerated shelf-life study: sealed packs were kept at 40°C and 75% humidity for six months, conditions that age oil much faster than a kitchen shelf. The results are further up this page.
Keep the bottle closed, at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and humidity.
Its light, neutral taste suits everyday cooking: tadkas, sautéing, shallow frying, dosas and dressings. Like other oils rich in linoleic acid, it is best used fresh rather than reheated again and again for deep frying.
Cold-pressed safflower oil was chosen for the ICMR-funded EmollientVLBW newborn study described above, which is still under way. At home, check with your paediatrician before starting oil massage, especially for a baby born early or small.
