Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oil refers to oils extracted from the seeds or other parts of edible plants, chemically a mixture of triglycerides like animal fats, and in everyday use the term generally means a vegetable fat that stays liquid at room temperature; common examples include soybean, canola, olive and palm oil. It is extracted either mechanically, by pressing or crushing seeds, the traditional method for oils such as olive and coconut, or chemically, using a solvent such as hexane for higher yields in industrial production of oils like soybean and corn; culinary uses include cooking, frying and baking, while industrial uses include soap, cosmetics, paints, lubricants, electrical insulation and biodiesel. World production rose 125 percent between 2000 and 2020, reaching 212 million tonnes by 2022, and palm oil overtook soybean oil as the leading vegetable oil produced in 2006; the United States FDA classifies vegetable oils as generally recognized as safe.