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Some Facts About Fats and Oils
Fats and oils are lipids. When lipids are solid they are regarded as fats; when liquid, as oils. All lipids contain unsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated fatty acids, in different proportions. Usually, one fatty acid predominates, and we tend to associate that fatty acid with the lipid. For example, we tend to think of safflower oil as polyunsaturated; in reality, it is predominantly polyunsaturated (76% polyunsaturated, 15% monounsaturated, and 9% saturated). Similarly, olive oil is predominantly monounsaturated (76% monounsaturated, 10% polyunsaturated, and 14% saturated).