Cooking oils are used widely indeed, and in enormous quantities. Generally speaking, housewives prefer a clear, light-controlled oil of vegetable origin with cold stability as well as good flavour and oxidative stability. The oils in common use for making such products are mostly derived from seeds, and include soya bean oil, safflower seed oil and others. These have varying degrees of flavour and oxidative stability depending on the composition of the oil and on manufacturing standards. Highly unsaturated oils generally have poor flavour and oxidative stability and are often partially hydrogenated to overcome these defects.

Main Researcher: Teah Yau Kun