New Plant Sources of Healthy Oil

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, significant progress has been made in research on the consumption of natural foods to improve human health. The development of functional foods, nutraceuticals, and medicinal foods influences current dietary habits. In addition, it is necessary to satisfy the needs of a growing world population for edible oil, and the research of the effects of these oils on the prevention of the diseases. These demands have resulted in a significant increase in oil production. The protective effects of oils on health are influenced by their composition of fatty acids, phytosterols and tocopherols. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are of paramount importance for the proper functioning of the brain and eyes. These fatty acids and phytosterols are effective in lowering total cholesterol, preventing certain risks linked to neurodegenerative and tumor diseases. The constantly changing diets and societal demand for new sources of oil containing polyunsaturated fatty acids has become a health problem. The nutritional claims of health organizations around the world relate to the reduction of saturated fats and/or fatty acids. However, 96% of the oils come from the four main oilseed species. In addition, 45% of oils produced worldwide are rich in saturated fatty acids. It is therefore obvious that we are looking for new oils with specific characteristics which can preserve not only human health but also protect our environment. The purpose of this Special Issue is to present and explore these new plant sources (plant or algae) with specific lipid compositions rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, new sources of saturated fatty acids, new extraction processes (green solvents), or fermentation in order to limit the impact on the environment. This Special Issue concerns the characterization of new sources (non-domesticated species, forgotten species, species not used for oil extraction, etc.) of oil for their content of healthy compounds (unsaturated fatty acids, sterols, tocopherols, etc.), screening of collections of old varieties or development of new cultivars, modification of lipid biosynthesis pathways, and transformation processes of raw materials.

Prof. Dr. Othmane Merah
Prof. Giuseppe De Mastro
Prof. Dr. Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil Abhilash
Guest Editors

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