AbstractAn almost complete dehulling (hull residue lower than 3%) of sunflower seeds, before oil extraction, reduces to a minimum both the transfer of pigments from hulls to the flour and the content of fiber in the finished product. In this paper some results of our work on the dehulling of high‐oil seeds with an air‐jet impact huller are presented. The effectiveness of dehulling has been evaluated as a function of characteristics of the seed (variety, moisture and so forth) and of operative parameters (impact velocity, etc.). The optical analysis of the impact of the seeds on the target was made optical analysis of the impact of the seeds on the target was made by means of high‐speed cinematography (about 8000 frames/sec) to have a better view of the phenomenon and to measure the parameters of energy involved. The use of proper seed monentum, which is a function of the characteristic of the seed, can allow selective hull breaking with minimum kernel breakage. Almost complete hull‐free kernels from high‐oil sunflower seeds were obtained by means of a continuous dehuller‐separator pilot plant.