Nutritional lipids: an overview of nutritional progress and market trends

Nutritional lipids in this text are defined as lipids having nutritional concerns. They are vital components of human diets, delivering essential fatty acids, bioactive compounds, and fat-soluble vitamins that support metabolic health and disease prevention. This review provides an overview of various fatty acids, fatty acid derivatives, and the typical oil-soluble nutrients (unsaponfiable matters) focusing on their nutritional advances and functional benefits. The overview covers all lipid categories existing in nature but with a focus on those having high nutritional concerns and progress. An updated nutritional discussion is given for each group but the latest review papers for the subject have been provided for further reading. An overall picture of nutritional lipids in progress can be expected. For the application channels, functional foods, infant formulas, sport foods, medical foods, and personized nutrition are discussed besides supplementation capsules. The global market is driven by consumers awareness, showing a steady increase. The market distribution is, however, uneven from region to region, indicating that a big market exists for future expansion. There are multiple challenges including oxidation, bioavailability, and regulations, as well as sustainable production technologies. This work integrates scientific insights and industrial trends, offering a scenario for future development.