Introduction to Vegetable Oils

Vegetable oil (VO) is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon in innumerable compositions and abundantly found in natural plants, seeds and fruits. Vegetable oils have gained a mammoth consideration in this new era due to their limitless applications in different sectors including biofuels, food, soaps, cosmetics, textile, paint and coating, and plastic industries. Numerous researches have been accomplished to improve vegetable oil extraction and usage in significant applications as binders, polymerizations and lubricants. This chapter recapitulates the basic introduction, composition, classification of vegetable oils and their significant roles in daily life. The most acquainted applications of vegetable oils are also summarized in this chapter.