OilSeeds.org

Exported primarily out of Slovenia and Austria, pumpkin seed oil has a variety of uses ranging from cooking to medicine. The dried seeds of various types of pumpkins are used to produce pumpkin seed oils with various properties. Due to the nutty taste of the oil, its uses in cooking are quite diverse. In recent years, you might have seen salad dressings appear on the shelves of your local grocer. There are also ice-creams that use the oil, to add a nutty flavor.

Because of the abundance of seeds per pumpkin, and the relative ease of growing pumpkins, pumpkin seed oil can be quite inexpensive when compared to other vegetable soils, such as grape seed oil. Pumpkins can grow in relatively any soil when given the right irrigation and sunlight. Austria is the largest exporter of pumpkin seed oil, where it is used in many different dishes and desserts.

Made from the seeds of various types of grapes, Grape seed oil is considered to be a vegetable oil. It is a common by-product in the making of wine. With uses ranging from cooking to cosmetics, grape seed oil is one of the most desirable of all vegetable oils. Its use in cooking is attributed to its relatively high evaporation point. It is ideal for stir-frying vegetables or for healthier deep-frying applications. Its take is clean and light. Other cooking uses include dressings for salads and spicing in various sauces and marinades.

In cosmetics grape seed oil is used in many skin care products. It leaves the skin with a nice moisturised feeling with minimal residue. It also is used in ex-foliation products to counter the drying effects of soap. Grape seed oil is more expensive than many other vegetable seed oils, such as pumpkin seed oil.

At this time, there are several studies investigating potential health-benefits of grape seed oil. At this time, no conclusive evidence is released, but researchers are hopeful that studies will show several positive benefits.