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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Grown in
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.
Good oil with good taste & smells good. Worth buying. Cap is tough to open, rest everything is very good
Oil is value for money and richness of purity and quality as well , it is tasty and healthy and smells good and it is virgin cold pressed.
Product packaging is very convenient for usage. Smell and taste is really very good. The best safflower oil I have used so far. 100% recommended for those who are already using safflower oil.
I buy cold pressed oil for the lightness of the food and to preserve the original taste.. Nune is by far the best in terms of preserving this taste. The branding and appearance lured me in but the taste has made me a loyal user. The aromatic smell coupled with the purity will only increase the health benefits.
This is the best oil so far I have used it�s smell and after cooking the taste of food is also very good it is the purest oil good for health compared to other so called cold pressed oils and there packaging is top notch am already in love with there packaging
Tried different safflower oils from long time but always there was ok to bad quality oils in the market , a friend suggested me about this brand oils and I gave a try. This oil is pure and felt it is real cold pressed and smells great and actually makes my dishes more tasty. I recommend this oil for everyone
Ok
This oil a very good replacement for sunflower oil, oil feels very lite & felt good for all types of cooking. ???? for packaging & ?????? for quality. Must try oil for every day cooking
Best oil but glass had hairline fracture so leaked.
Good
Quality of oil is too goodflavourful oil and lite
Superb
Good
Great quality , value of money ,flavourful and a perfect choice to switch from sunflower oils,
Best quality...supar taste
Good quality healthy safflower oil,packaging is good
Price is a bit high but still it's good value for money
Aroma and taste is good
Good that they are not using plastic bottles. They should reduce price, else people will not buy.
Quality and taste is very goodWorth for money
I am using this oil to fry. Even using it for baking for cake. Very light and quality is amazing. It is cold press best sunflower oil. I recommend to use it.
The oil is very good, enhances the taste of the food, has fragrance of seasme seeds.I wish the price is more reasonable though.
We are using this Safflower oil For the 2nd time, what I found was after using 6 times (Re use) also the oil Consistency is very nice it doesn�t turn blackish like other oils�We will definitely Add this NUNE Safflower oil into our Pantry list regularly�
For me it�s the Best safflower oil available currently in the market. Oils feels lite & when used for deep fry froth is not seen at all. Must use for deep frying
No 1 oil company in Amazon Nune mens no natak nautanki okaySingle press machine technology better than wooden press hyper marketing superb *Scam*In the name of purity, a huge fraud is being committed by mixing flavour colour in sunflower palm oil indicwisdom this scam in amazon
It�s good for health
100%Fine quality and helthy oil this 2nd time I am buying this oil
