Cottonseed oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the cotton plant after the cotton lint has been removed. It must be refined to remove gossypol, a naturally occurring toxin that protects the cotton plant from insect damage. Unrefined cottonseed oil is therefore sometimes used as a pesticide. In its natural unhydrogenated state cottonseed oil, like all vegetable oils, has no cholesterol. It also contains no trans fatty acids. However, it does contain over 50% Omega-6 fatty acids and only trace amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids, and the imbalance is considered unhealthy if not used in moderation or balanced elsewhere in the diet. Further, these polyunsaturated fats can potentially go rancid during the extraction process. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with cooking oil. ... Species See text The cotton plant (Gossypium) is a genus of about 40 species of shrubs in the family Malvaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old World and the New World. ... For other uses, see Cotton (disambiguation). ... Gossypol is a polyphenol C30H30O8 derived from the cottonseed plant (genus Gossypium, family Malvaceae) used as a male oral contraceptive in China. ... For other uses, see Toxin (disambiguation). ... Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction in which unsaturated bonds between carbon atoms are reduced by attachment of a hydrogen atom to each carbon. ... A vegetable oil or vegoil is an oil extracted from oilseeds or another plant source. ... Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol). ... In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid (or organic acid), often with a long aliphatic tail (long chains), either saturated or unsaturated. ... Omega-6 fatty acids are fatty acids where the term omega-6 signifies that the first double bond in the carbon backbone of the fatty acid, counting from the end opposite the acid group, occurs in the sixth carbon-carbon bond. ... Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids found in certain fish tissues, and in vegetable sources such as flax seeds, walnuts, and canola oil. ... // In nutrition, polyunsaturated fat is an abbreviation of polyunsaturated fatty acid. ...

Some consumers are wary of cottonseed oil because cotton crops are one of the most chemically-intensive crops grown in the U.S. Many chemicals approved for use on cotton are not approved for use on food-based crops. Cotton field leftovers, or gin trash, is frequently fed to cattle.

Cottonseed oil is rich in palmitic acid (22-26%), oleic acid (15-20%), linoleic acid (49-58%) and 10% mixture of arachidic acid, behenic acid and lignoceric acid. It also contains about 1% sterculic acids and malvalic acids in the crude oil. The cyclopropene acids are undesirable components, but they are largely removed during refining, particularly deodorization, and also during hydrogenation. They are not considered to present any health hazard in cottonseed oil. Palmitic acid, or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. ... Oleic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid found in various animal and vegetable sources. ... Linoleic acid (LA) is an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. ... Arachidic acid also called eicosanoic acid is a saturated fatty acid found in peanut oil. ... Behenic acid, also docosanoic acid, is a normal carboxylic acid, a fatty acid with formula C21H43COOH. In appearance, it consists of white to cream color crystals or powder with a melting point of 74-78°C and boiling point of 306°C. At 9%, it is a major component of... Lignoceric acid, also tetracosanoic acid, is a saturated fatty acid with formula C23H47COOH. Lignoceric acid is a byproduct of lignin production. ...

Cottonseed oil is commonly used in manufacturing potato chips and other snack foods. Along with soybean oil, it is very often partially or fully hydrogenated. The growing consensus is that in hydrogenated (trans fat) form these oils are very unhealthy. Cottonseed oil was the first oil to be hydrogenated in mass production, originally intended for candle production, and soon also as a food (as Crisco). In part because regulations apply differently to non-food crops, it has also been suggested that cottonseed oil may be highly contaminated with pesticide residues, but insufficient testing has been done.^{[citation needed]} Saratoga chips Potato chips (British English or Hiberno-English: crisps) are slim slices of potatoes deep fried or baked until crisp. ... Binomial name Glycine max Merr. ... Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction in which unsaturated bonds between carbon atoms are reduced by attachment of a hydrogen atom to each carbon. ... A trans fatty acid (commonly shortened to trans fat) is an unsaturated fatty acid molecule that contains a trans double bond between carbon atoms, which makes the molecule less kinked compared to cis fat. Research suggests a correlation between diets high in trans fats and diseases like atherosclerosis and coronary... Cover of original Crisco cookbook, 1912 Crisco, a popular brand of shortening, was first produced in 1911 by Procter & Gamble and was the first shortening to be made entirely of vegetable oil. ...

Cotton (oil) is also one of the big four (soy, corn, rapeseed/Canola,^[1] and cotton) genetically modified crops grown around the world. Kenyans examining insect-resistant transgenic Bt corn. ... It has been suggested that Genetic engineering be merged into this article or section. ...

References

1. ^ Reports on GM Canola. from the Australian Department of Primary Industries