vegetable oils

Vegetable oils are triglycerides extracted from a plant. The term “vegetable oil” can be narrowly defined as referring only to plant oils that are liquid at room temperature, or broadly defined without regard to a substance’s state of matter at a given temperature. Many vegetable oils are consumed directly, or indirectly as ingredients in food. In this role, the oils serve the purposes of shortening, adding desired textures and contributing to the flavor base of the cuisine. The oils can also be heated and used to cook other foods.

Oils suitable for this objective must have a high flash point. Such oils include the major cooking oils – soybean, rapeseed, canola, sunflower, safflower, peanut, cottonseed, etc. Tropical oils, such as coconut, palm, and rice bran oils, are particularly valued in Asian cultures for high-temperature cooking, because of their unusually high flash points. Many vegetable oils are used to make soaps, skin products, candles, perfumes and other personal care and cosmetic products. Some oils are particularly suitable as drying oils, and are used in making paints and other wood treatment products. 

Vegetable oils are increasingly being used in the electrical industry as insulators as vegetable oils are not toxic to the environment, biodegradable if spilled and have high flash and fire points. Vegetable oil is used in production of some pet foods and  to make biodiesel, which can be used like conventional diesel.