ABSTRACT

Vegetable oils provide energy. This is the reason plants tend to pack lipids into their seeds so that the stored energy can be used to support germination. In contrast to animal fats, the lipids stored in the seeds are liquids and are classied as oils or vegetable oils. Several plant species have a remarkable capacity to store large amounts of oils in their seeds, which can be extracted and used in numerous ways. Traditional and historical uses of vegetable oils are wide and varied, including food, lubricants, fuel for parafn lamps, medicinal and therapeutic uses, spiritual uses, chemical feedstocks, and wood preservatives. With the development of science and technology, uses of vegetable oils expanded, based on their qualities and physical and chemical properties (Walker 2004).