Annotation Any oil or fat should have the optimum physical, chemical, and nutritional properties dictated by its end use. Modification of natural fats and oils is therefore important to improve the quality of lipids for use in foods. When lipids are modified, though, compromises have to be made as the physical, chemical and nutritional properties of lipids are not always mutually compatible and this provides an important challenge for food technologists. Edited by an eminent specialist, this collection shows how these challenges have been met in the past, how they are being met today, and how they may be met in the future. CONTENTS Introduction: modifying lipids, why and how? Part 1 Understanding lipids structure and composition: Vegetable sources of lipids; Lipids from animal fats; Lipids from marine sources; Lipids from algal sources; Methods of analysis to determine the quality of an oil; Lipid chemistry and biochemistry; Structure and properties of fat crystal networks. Part 2 Modifying lipids: Hydrogenation; Fractionation; Chemical interesterification; Enzymatic interesterification; Plant breeding to change fatty acid composition; Production, separation and modification of phospholipids; PUFA production from marine sources; Modifying animal fats.