Linseed oil oil – commonly known as flax seed oil in nutritional contexts – is easily oxidized, and rapidly becomes rancid, with an unpleasant odour, unless refrigerated. Even when kept under cool conditions, it has a shelf life of only a few weeks. Oil with an unpleasant or rancid odor should be discarded. Oxidation of flax seed oil is a major commercial concern, and antioxidants may be added to prevent rancidification. Linseed oil is not generally recommended for use in cooking, yet one study does show that the alpha linolenic acid (ALA) while bound in flaxseed was found to be stable for
Essential oil Essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (defined as "the tendency of a substance to vaporize") aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetherolea, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An essential oil is "essential" in the sense that it contains the "essence of" the plant's fragrance—the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. The term essential used here does not mean indispensable as with the terms essential amino acid or essential fatty