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.
