Major oils These oils make up a significant fraction of worldwide edible oil production. All are also used as
fuel oils. •
Coconut oil, a cooking oil, with medical and industrial applications as well. Extracted from the kernel or meat of the fruit of the
coconut palm. Common in the tropics, and unusual in composition, with
medium chain fatty acids dominant. •
Corn oil, one of the principal oils sold as
salad and
cooking oil. •
Cottonseed oil, used as a salad and cooking oil, both domestically and industrially. •
Olive oil, used in cooking, cosmetics,
soaps, and as a fuel for traditional
oil lamps. •
Palm oil, the most widely produced
tropical oil. Popular in
West African and
Brazilian cuisine. Also used to make
biofuel. •
Peanut oil (Ground nut oil), a clear oil with some applications as a
salad dressing, and, due to its high
smoke point, especially used for
frying. •
Rapeseed oil, including Canola oil, the most sold cooking oil all around the world; used as a salad and cooking oil, both domestically and industrially. •
Sesame oil, cold pressed as light cooking oil, hot pressed for a darker and stronger flavor. •
Soybean oil, produced as a byproduct of processing soy meal. •
Sunflower oil, a common cooking oil, also used to make
biodiesel.
Nut oils s from the
Common Hazel, used to make
Hazelnut oil Nut oils are generally used in cooking, for their
flavor. Most are quite costly, because of the difficulty of extracting the oil. •
Almond oil, used as an edible oil, but primarily in the manufacture of
cosmetics. •
Beech nut oil, from
Fagus sylvatica nuts, is a well-regarded edible oil in Europe, used for salads and cooking. •
Brazil nut oil contains 75%
unsaturated fatty acids composed mainly of
oleic and
linolenic acids, as well as the
phytosterol,
beta-sitosterol, and fat-soluble
vitamin E. Extra virgin oil can be obtained during the first pressing of the nuts, possibly for use as a substitute for
olive oil due to its mild, pleasant flavor. •
Cashew oil, somewhat comparable to
olive oil. May have value for fighting
dental cavities. •
Jamaican cobnut oil, a sweet, fine-flavored oil pressed from the seeds of
Omphalea triandra in the tropical Americas. It is also reported to be used as a lubricant. •
Hazelnut oil, mainly used for its flavor. Also used in skin care, because of its slight
astringent nature. •
Macadamia oil, with a mild nutty flavor and a high
smoke point. •
Pecan oil, valued as a food oil, but requiring fresh pecans for good quality oil. •
Pine nut oil, sold as a gourmet cooking oil, and of potential medicinal interest as an appetite suppressant. •
Pistachio oil, a strongly flavored oil with a distinctive green color. •
Walnut oil, used for its flavor,
Citrus oils A number of
citrus plants yield pressed oils. Some, such as lemon and orange oil, are used as
essential oils, which is uncommon for pressed oils. •
Grapefruit seed oil, extracted from the seeds of
grapefruit (
Citrus × paradisi). Grapefruit seed oil was extracted experimentally in 1930 and was shown to be suitable for making soap. •
Lemon oil, similar in fragrance to the fruit. One of a small number of cold pressed essential oils. Used as a flavoring agent and in aromatherapy. •
Orange oil, like lemon oil, cold pressed rather than distilled. Consists of 90% d-
Limonene. Used as a fragrance, in cleaning products and in flavoring foods.
Oils from melon and gourd seeds '', is used in cooking in
West Africa. Members of the
Cucurbitaceae include
gourds,
melons,
pumpkins, and
squashes. Seeds from these plants are noted for their oil content, but little information is available on methods of extracting the oil. In most cases, the plants are grown as food, with dietary use of the oils as a byproduct of using the seeds as food. • Bitter gourd oil, from the seeds of
Momordica charantia. High in
α-Eleostearic acid. Of current research interest for its potential anti-carcinogenic properties. • Bottle gourd oil, extracted from the seeds of the
Lagenaria siceraria, widely grown in
tropical regions. Used as an edible oil. •
Buffalo gourd oil, from the seeds of the
Cucurbita foetidissima, a
vine with a rank odor, native to southwest
North America. • Butternut squash seed oil, from the seeds of
Cucurbita moschata, has a nutty flavor that is used for salad dressings, marinades, and sautéeing. • Egusi seed oil, from the seeds of
Melothria sphaerocarpa (syn.
Cucumeropsis mannii), is particularly rich in
linoleic acid. •
Pumpkin seed oil, a specialty cooking oil, produced in
Austria,
Slovenia and
Croatia. Used mostly in salad dressings. Recent research has generated interest in pumpkin seed oil to treat certain prostate medical conditions. •
Watermelon seed oil, pressed from the seeds of
Citrullus vulgaris. Traditionally used in cooking in
West Africa.
Food supplements A number of oils are used as
food supplements (or "
nutraceuticals"), for their nutrient content or purported medicinal effect.
Borage seed oil,
blackcurrant seed oil, and
evening primrose oil all have a significant amount of
gamma-Linolenic acid (GLA) (about 23%, 15–20% and 7–10%, respectively), and it is this that has drawn the interest of researchers. •
Açaí oil, from the fruit of several
species of the
Açaí palm (
Euterpe) grown in the
Amazon region. •
Black seed oil, pressed from
Nigella sativa seeds, has a long history of medicinal use, including in
ancient Greek,
Asian, and
Islamic medicine, as well as being a topic of current medical research. •
Blackcurrant seed oil, from the seeds of
Ribes nigrum, used as a food supplement. High in gamma-Linolenic,
omega-3 and
omega-6 fatty acids. •
Borage seed oil, from the seeds of
Borago officinalis. the most important plant source of gamma-Linolenic acid, particularly because it does not contain
alpha-Linolenic acid. •
Flaxseed oil (called
linseed oil when used as a
drying oil), from the seeds of
Linum usitatissimum. High in omega-3 and
lignans, which can be used medicinally. A good dietary equivalent to
fish oil. Easily turns
rancid.
Other edible oils seed pods, used to make
carob pod oil •
Amaranth oil, from the seeds of grain
amaranth species, including
Amaranthus cruentus and
Amaranthus hypochondriacus, high in
squalene and
unsaturated fatty acids. •
Apricot oil, similar to
almond oil, which it resembles. Used in cosmetics. •
Apple seed oil, high in
linoleic acid. developed through a women's cooperative founded in the 1990s, that has also attracted recent attention in
Europe. •
Avocado oil, an edible oil used primarily in the
cosmetics and
pharmaceutical industries. Unusually high
smoke point of . •
Ben oil, extracted from the seeds of the
Moringa oleifera. High in
behenic acid. Extremely stable edible oil. Also suitable for
biofuel. •
Borneo tallow nut oil, extracted from the fruit of species of genus
Shorea. Used as a substitute for
cocoa butter, and to make soap, candles, cosmetics and medicines in places where the tree is common. •
Cape chestnut oil, also called yangu oil, is a popular oil in Africa for skin care. •
Carob pod oil (Algaroba oil), from
carob, with an exceptionally high
essential fatty acid content. •
Cocoa butter, from the
cacao plant, is used in the manufacture of
chocolate, as well as in some ointments and cosmetics; sometimes known as theobroma oil •
Cocklebur oil, from species of genus
Xanthium, with similar properties to
poppyseed oil, similar in taste and smell to
sunflower oil. •
Cohune oil, from the
Attalea cohune (cohune palm) used as a lubricant, for cooking, soapmaking and as a lamp oil. seeds are the source of an edible pressed oil,
Coriander seed oil. • Coriander seed oil, from
coriander seeds, used in a wide variety of flavoring applications, including
gin and
seasoning blends. Recent research has shown promise for use in killing food-borne bacteria, such as
E. coli. • Date seed oil, extracted from
date pits. Its low extraction rate and lack of other distinguishing characteristics make it an unlikely candidate for major use. • Dika oil, from
Irvingia gabonensis seeds, native to
West Africa. Used to make
margarine,
soap and
pharmaceuticals, where is it being examined as a tablet lubricant. Largely underdeveloped. Produced in modern times in
Central and
Eastern Europe; fell out of production in the 1940s. Considered promising as a food or fuel oil. •
Grape seed oil, a cooking and salad oil, also sprayed on raisins to help them retain their flavor. •
Hemp oil, a high quality food oil also used to make paints, varnishes, resins and soft soaps. •
Kapok seed oil, from the seeds of
Ceiba pentandra, used as an edible oil, and in soap production. •
Kenaf seed oil, from the seeds of
Hibiscus cannabinus. An edible oil similar to
cottonseed oil, with a long history of use. •
Lallemantia oil, from the seeds of
Lallemantia iberica, discovered at
archaeological sites in northern Greece. • Mafura oil, extracted from the seeds of
Trichilia emetica. Used as an edible oil in
Ethiopia. Mafura butter, extracted as part of the same process when extracting the oil, is not edible, and is used in soap and candle making, as a body ointment, as fuel, and medicinally. •
Meadowfoam seed oil, highly stable oil, with over 98% long-chain
fatty acids. Competes with
rapeseed oil for industrial applications. •
Mustard oil (pressed), used in India as a cooking oil. Also used as a
massage oil. •
Niger seed oil is obtained from the edible seeds of the Niger plant, which belongs to the genus
Guizotia of the family
Asteraceae. The botanical name of the plant is
Guizotia abyssinica. Cultivation for the plant originated in the
Ethiopian Highlands, and has since spread from
Malawi to
India. •
Nutmeg butter, extracted by
expression from the fruit of
cogeners of genus
Myristica. Nutmeg butter has a large amount of
trimyristin. Nutmeg oil, by contrast, is an
essential oil, extracted by
steam distillation. •
Okra seed oil, from
Abelmoschus esculentus. Composed predominantly of
oleic and
linoleic acids. The greenish yellow edible oil has a pleasant taste and odor. •
Papaya seed oil, high in omega-3 and omega-6, similar in composition to olive oil. Not to be confused with papaya oil produced by
maceration. •
Perilla seed oil, high in
omega-3 fatty acids. Used as an edible oil, for medicinal purposes in Asian
herbal medicine, in skin care products and as a drying oil. • Persimmon seed oil, extracted from the seeds of
Diospyros virginiana. Dark, reddish-brown color, similar in taste to
olive oil. Nearly equal content of
oleic and
linoleic acids. •
Pequi oil, extracted from the seeds of
Caryocar brasiliense. Used in
Brazil as a highly prized cooking oil. • Pili nut oil, extracted from the seeds of
Canarium ovatum. Used in the Philippines as an edible oil, as well as for a lamp oil. • Pomegranate seed oil, from
Punica granatum seeds, is very high in
punicic acid (which takes its name from pomegranates). A topic of current medical research for treating and preventing
cancer. •
Poppyseed oil, long used for cooking, in paints,
varnishes, and
soaps. •
Pracaxi oil, extracted from the seeds of
Pentaclethra macroloba. Similar to peanut oil, but has a high concentration of
behenic acid (19%). •
Prune kernel oil, marketed as a gourmet cooking oil Similar in composition to peach kernel oil. •
Quinoa oil, similar in composition and use to
corn oil. •
Ramtil oil, pressed from the seeds of the one of several species of genus
Guizotia abyssinica (Niger pea) in
India and
Ethiopia. •
Rice bran oil is a highly stable cooking and salad oil, suitable for high-temperature cooking. It also has potential as a biofuel. • Royle oil, pressed from the seeds of
Prinsepia utilis, a wild, edible oil shrub that grows in the higher
Himalayas. Used medicinally in
Nepal. is pressed •
Sacha inchi oil, from the
Peruvian
Amazon. High in
behenic,
omega-3 and
omega-6 fatty acids. •
Sapote oil, used as a cooking oil in
Guatemala. • Seje oil, from the seeds of
Jessenia bataua. Used in
South America as an edible oil, similar to
olive oil, as well as for
soaps and in the
cosmetics industry. •
Shea butter, much of which is produced by African women. Used primarily in skin care products and as a substitute for
cocoa butter in
confections and
cosmetics. •
Taramira oil, from the seeds of the arugula (
Eruca sativa), grown in
West Asia and
Northern India. Used as a (pungent) edible oil after aging to remove acridity. •
Tea seed oil (Camellia oil), widely used in southern
China as a cooking oil. Also used in making soaps,
hair oils and a variety of other products. • Thistle oil, pressed from the seeds of
Silybum marianum. A good potential source of special
fatty acids,
carotenoids,
tocopherols,
phenol compounds and natural anti-oxidants, as well as for generally improving the nutritional value of foods. •
Tigernut oil (or nut-sedge oil) is pressed from the tuber of
Cyperus esculentus. It has properties similar to soybean, sunflower and rapeseed oils. It is used in cooking and making soap and has potential as a biodiesel fuel. •
Tomato seed oil is a potentially valuable by-product, as a cooking oil, from the waste seeds generated from processing tomatoes. •
Wheat germ oil, used nutritionally and in cosmetic preparations, high in
vitamin E and
octacosanol. ==Oils used for biofuel== A number of oils are used for
biofuel (
biodiesel and
Straight Vegetable Oil) in addition to having other uses. Other oils are used only as biofuel. Although
diesel engines were invented, in part, with
vegetable oil in mind, diesel fuel is almost exclusively
petroleum-based. Vegetable oils are evaluated for use as a biofuel based on: • Suitability as a fuel, based on
flash point, energy content,
viscosity,
combustion products and other factors • Cost, based in part on
yield, effort required to grow and
harvest, and
post-harvest processing cost
Multipurpose oils also used as biofuel The oils listed immediately below are all (primarily) used for other purposes all but
tung oil are edible but have been considered for use as biofuel. •
Castor oil, lower cost than many candidates. Kinematic
viscosity may be an issue. •
Coconut oil (
copra oil), promising for local use in places that produce coconuts. •
Colza oil, from
Brassica rapa, var. oleifera (turnip) is closely related to
rapeseed (or
canola) oil. It is a major source of biodiesel in Germany. •
Corn oil, appealing because of the abundance of
maize as a crop. •
Cottonseed oil, the subject of study for cost-effectiveness as a biodiesel feedstock. •
False flax oil, from
Camelina sativa, used in Europe in
oil lamps until the 18th century. •
Mustard oil, shown to be comparable to
Canola oil as a biofuel. •
Palm oil, very popular for biofuel, but the environmental impact from growing large quantities of
oil palms has recently called the use of palm oil into question. •
Peanut oil, used in one of the first demonstrations of the
Diesel engine in 1900. •
Rapeseed oil, the most common base oil used in Europe in biodiesel production. •
Rice bran oil, appealing because of lower cost than many other vegetable oils. Widely grown in Asia. •
Safflower oil, explored recently as a biofuel in
Montana. •
Salicornia oil, from the seeds of
Salicornia bigelovii, a
halophyte (salt-loving plant)
native to
Mexico. •
Soybean oil, not economical as a fuel crop, but appealing as a byproduct of soybean crops for other uses. •
Tigernut oil has been described by researchers in China as having "great potential as a biodiesel fuel." Several factories in China produce biodiesel from tung oil.
Inedible oils used only or primarily as biofuel These oils are extracted from plants that are cultivated solely for producing oil-based biofuel. These, plus the
major oils described above, have received much more attention as fuel oils than other plant oils. •
Copaiba, an
oleoresin tapped from species of
genus Copaifera. Used in
Brazil as a cosmetic product and a major source of
biodiesel. •
Jatropha oil, widely used in
India as a fuel oil. Has attracted strong proponents for use as a
biofuel. •
Jojoba oil, from the
Simmondsia chinensis, a desert shrub. •
Milk bush, popularized by
chemist Melvin Calvin in the 1950s. Researched in the 1980s by
Petrobras, the
Brazilian national petroleum company. • Nahor oil, pressed from the kernels of
Mesua ferrea, is used in
India as a
lamp oil. •
Paradise oil, from the seeds of
Simarouba glauca, has received interest in India as a feed stock for biodiesel. • Petroleum nut oil, from the Petroleum nut (
Pittosporum resiniferum) native to the
Philippines. The Philippine government once explored the use of the petroleum nut as a biofuel. •
Pongamia oil (also known as Honge oil), extracted from
Millettia pinnata and pioneered as a biofuel by Udipi Shrinivasa in
Bangalore,
India. ==Drying oils==