Our dietary intake comprises three macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate and lipid) and a large but unknown number of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc). Good health rests, in part, on an adequate and balanced supply of these components. This book is concerned with the major sources of lipids and the micronutrients that they contain.

Now in an extensively updated second edition, the volume provides a source of concentrated and accessible information on the composition, properties and food applications of the vegetable oils commonly used in the food industry. Chapters are devoted to each type of oil, and an introductory chapter by the Editor provides an overview of the current production and trade picture globally. The book includes coverage of the modifications of these oils that are commercially available by means of partial hydrogenation, fractionation and seed breeding. The major food applications are linked, wherever possible, to the composition and properties of the oils.

This new edition widens the range of oils covered, addresses issues related to trans fats reduction, and new composition data is included throughout. The book is an essential resource for food scientists and technologists who use vegetable oils in food processing; chemists and technologists working in oils and fats processing; and analytical chemists and quality assurance personnel.

Praise for the first edition:

"This excellent book consists of 337 pages in 11 chapters, written by 13 experts from six countries...the important vegetable oils are dealt with in great detail. With obesity on all out lips...this book also rightly defends itself and its content - namely, that all vegetable oils, when used correctly and of course in moderation, are indeed necessary to all of us."
– Food & Beverage Reporter

"Overall, the book covers all of the major oils which the potential reader is likely to approach it for... covers a wide range of topics from production, through composition to nutritional aspects... The volume is well indexed, particularly for the individual subject oils, and it is easy to find specific topics within its chapters."
– Food Science and Technology

"This latest book edited by Professor Gunstone belongs to the kind of books where the reader rapidly knows it will bring him a wealth of updated information concentrated in one book. The goal to 'serve as a rich source of data' on the thirteen major oils and their important minor components has been attained. There is a need for books of such quality."
– European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology