Vegetable oil

Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of edible plants. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are mixtures of triglycerides. Soybean oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fats from seeds. Olive oil, palm oil, and rice bran oil are examples of fats from other parts of plants. In common usage, vegetable oil may refer exclusively to vegetable fats which are liquid at room temperature. Vegetable oils are usually edible and are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the United StatesFood and Drug Administration (FDA). There is no evidence that seed oils are unhealthy.

Vegetable oils have been used for thousands of years (dating back to at least 6000 BC for olive oil) and were historically important for cooking, lighting, medicine, and industry. Palm oil later becoming a major global commodity during the Industrial Revolution. In the 19th and 20th centuries, scientific advances (like understanding fats and hydrogenation) led to modern products such as margarine and shortening. Oils like soybean and canola became dominant in global markets. Today, vegetable oils are widely used in food, manufacturing (e.g., cosmetics, paints, lubricants), and biofuel, and are produced mainly by pressing or chemical extraction. Global output is rising significantly due to demand, especially for palm oil.