A vegetable oil is a triglyceride
extracted from a plant.[1] The term
"vegetable oil" can be narrowly
defined as referring only to plant
oils that are liquid at room
temperature,[2] or broadly defined
without regard to a substance's
state of matter at a given
temperature.[3] For this reason,
vegetable oils that are solid at
room temperature are sometimes
called vegetable fats. In contrast
to these triglycerides, vegetable
waxes lack glycerin in their
structure. Although many plant
parts may yield oil, in commercial
practice, oil is extracted
primarily from seeds.
On food packaging, the term
"vegetable oil" is often used in
ingredients lists instead of
specifying the exact plant being
used, especially when the oil used
is less desirable to the consumer
or if a mix is used.
