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Vegetable fats and oils are substances derived from plants that are composed of Triglycerides . Nominally, oils are liquid at Room Temperature , and fats are solid; a dense brittle fat is called a Wax . Although many different parts of plants may yield oil, Compare, for example, the List Of Raw Materials from which Essential Oil s are extracted. in actual commercial practice oil is extracted primarily from the Seed s of oilseed plants. The temperature-based distinction between oils and fats is imprecise, since the temperatures of rooms vary, and typically any one substance has a ''melting range'' instead of a single '' Melting Point ''. Triglyceride vegetable fats and oils include not only edible, but also inedible vegetable fats and oils such as Linseed Oil , Tung Oil , and Castor Oil , used in lubricants, paints, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and other industrial purposes. Although thought of as Ester s of Glycerin and a varying blend of Fatty Acid s, in fact these oils contain free fatty acids and Diglyceride s as well. USES OF TRIGLYCERIDE VEGETABLE OIL Oils extracted from plants have been used in many cultures, since ancient time. As an example, in a 4,000 year old "kitchen" unearthed in Indiana 's Charlestown State Park , archaeologist Bob McCullough of IPFW found evidence that natives used large slabs of rock to crush Hickory Nut s, then boiled them in water to extract the oil. 1 Fatty Acids play an important role in the life and death of cardiac cells because they are essential fuels for mechanical and electrical activities of the heart. 2 - see page 1 of this link 3 4 5 Culinary uses See Also: Cooking oil Many vegetable oils are consumed directly, or used directly as ingredients in food - a role that they share with some Animal Fats , including Butter and Ghee . The oils serve a number of purposes in this role:
Secondly, oils can be heated, and used to cook other foods. Oils that are suitable for this purpose must have a high Flash Point . Such oils include the major cooking oils - Canola , Sunflower , Safflower , Peanut etc. Some oils, including Rice Bran Oil , are particularly valued in Asian cultures for high temperature cooking, because of their unusually high flash point. Hydrogenated oils Triglyceride -based vegetable fats and oils can be transformed through partial or complete Hydrogenation into fats and oils of higher melting point. The Hydrogenation process involves ''" Sparging "'' the oil at high temperature and pressure with Hydrogen in the presence of a Catalyst , typically a powdered Nickel compound. As each double-bond in the Triglyceride is broken, two hydrogen atoms form single bonds. The elimination of double-bonds by adding hydrogen atoms is called '' Saturation ''; as the degree of Saturation increases, the oil progresses towards being fully hydrogenated. An oil may be hydrogenated to increase resistance to Rancidity ( Oxidation ) or to change its physical characteristics. As the degree of saturation increases, the oil's viscosity and melting point increase. The use of Hydrogenated Oils in foods has never been completely satisfactory. Because the center arm of the Triglyceride is shielded somewhat by the end Triglyceride s, most of the Hydrogenation occurs on the end Triglyceride s. This makes the Resulting Fat more brittle. A margarine made from naturally more saturated tropical oils will be more plastic (more "spreadable") than a margarine made from hydrogenated soy oil. In addition, partial hydrogenation results in the formation of Trans Fats , which have increasingly been viewed as unhealthy since the 1970s. Industrial uses Vegetable oils are used as an ingredient or component in many manufactured products.
One limiting factor in industrial uses of vegetable oils is that all such oils eventually chemically decompose turning Rancid . Oils that are more stable, such as Ben Oil or Mineral Oil , are preferred for some industrial uses. |
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