Vegetable oil

With demand for vegetable oil only expected to increase, a team of scientists in Singapore has demonstrated a way of increasing the yield of oil from plants through genetic engineering, which could increase the output by as much as 18%.

Palm oil is a very widely-used food ingredient, but its production has a huge environmental impact, plus it may not be entirely healthy to consume. A greener, "lower-fat" alternative could be on the way, however, in the form of oil produced by algae.

A new study has found a key fatty acid found in palm oil can promote cancer metastasis in mice. The research, which does not claim dietary palm oil has cancer-causing properties in humans, could lead to new therapies that block cancer spread in the future.

There’s no shortage of portable lighting options out there for campers or people living in developing countries. But the Lumir K lamp is aiming to be the right mix of inexpensive, safe, bright, portable and efficient, using any old cooking oil as a fuel source to light up an array of LEDs.

The BioBot 20 tabletop diesel processor is a (relatively) simple chemical reactor for converting used kitchen oils into biodiesel fuel at home.

Researchers from Oregon State University have accidentally discovered a new vegetable-based adhesive which has the potential to be cheaply produced with little cost to the environment

MAX is a replica Lotus Seven which can run on vegetable oil, be built by a determined enthusiast for less than USD$10,000 and is the creation of Jack McCornack