This review presents recent technologies involved in vegetable oil refining as well as quality attributes of crude oils obtained by mechanical and solvent extraction. Usually, apart from virgin oils, crude oils cannot be consumed directly or incorporated into various food applications without technological treatments (refining). Indeed, crude oils like soybean, rapeseed, palm, corn, and sunflower oils must be purified or refined before consumption. The objective of such treatments (chemical and physical refining) is to get a better quality, a more acceptable aspect (limpidity), a lighter odor and color, longer stability, and good safety through the elimination of pollutants while minimizing oil loss during processing. However, the problem is that refining removes some essential nutrients and often generates other undesirable compounds such as 3-MCPD-esters and trans-fatty acids. These compounds directly influence the safety level of refined oil. Advantages and drawbacks of both chemical and physical refining were discussed in the light of recent literature. Physical refining has several advantages over chemical one.

The objective of this research work was to determine the characteristic features of the oil content and composition of nutrients of sesame seeds grown in Morocco. Characteristic features of the seed oil revealed a high degree of unsaturation and as determined by gas chromatography reported herein, the major unsaturated fatty acids were linoleic acid (46.9%) followed by oleic acid (37.4%), while the main saturated fatty acid was palmitic acid (9.1%). Sesame seed oil was also found to be rich in tocopherols with a predominance of γ-tocopherol (90.5%). The phytosterol marker β-sitosterol accounted for 59.9% of total sterols contained in sesame seed oil. This oil, therefore, has a potential for its use in human nutrition or industrial applications. Compositional analysis revealed that the sesame seeds contained considerable amounts of protein (22%) and high amounts of lipids (52%). Nutrient information reported herein illustrates the benefits to public health for consumers of these plant seeds. In terms of oil, sesame seed oil may be considered as a valuable source for new multi-purpose products as industrial, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical uses

To meet consumers’ demand for natural foods, edible oil producers and food processing industries are searching for alternatives to synthetic antioxidants to protect oils against oxidation. Antioxidant compounds extracted from different plant parts (e.g., flowers, leaves, roots, and seeds) or sourced from agri-food industries, including residues left after food processing, attract consumers for their health properties and natural origins. This review, starting from a literature research analysis, highlights the role of natural antioxidants in the protection of edible oils against oxidation, with an emphasis on the emerging and sustainable strategies to preserve oils against oxidative damage. Sustainability and health are the main concerns of food processing industries. In this context, the aim of this review is to highlight the emerging strategies for the enrichment of edible oils with biomolecules or extracts recovered from plant sources. The use of extracts obtained from vegetable wastes and by-products and the blending with oils extracted from various oil-bearing seeds is also pointed out as a sustainable approach. The safety concerns linked to the use of natural antioxidants for human health are also discussed. This review, using a multidisciplinary approach, provides an updated overview of the chemical, technological, sustainability, and safety aspects linked to oil protection.

Seeds of Nigella sativa L. (black cumin or black seeds) are widely used in traditional Islamic medicine and for culinary purposes worldwide. Nigella seed oil is becoming popular in and out of the Islamic world. Composition of Nigella seed oil is known to be location-dependent. We investigated the composition of Nigella seed oil prepared by solvent- or cold press-extraction of Nigella seeds grown in Morocco. Oil extraction yield was 37% and 27% when solvent or cold press extraction methods were used, respectively. In terms of oil major components, composition of Nigella seed oil from Morocco is similar to that from other Mediterranean countries known for their Nigella seed-oil quality