Editing Triglyceride (section)

==Commercial applications==
While it is the ''nutritional'' aspects of polyunsaturated fatty acids that are generally of greatest interest, these materials also have non-food applications. 

Linseed oil and related oils are important components of useful products used in [[oil paint]]s and related coatings. Linseed oil is rich in di- and tri-unsaturated fatty acid components, which tend to harden in the presence of oxygen. This heat-producing hardening process is peculiar to these so-called ''drying oils''. It is caused by a [[polymerization]] process that begins with oxygen molecules attacking the carbon backbone.  Aside from llinseed oil, other oils exhibit drying properties and are used in more specialized applications.  These include [[tung oil|tung]], [[poppyseed oil|poppyseed]], [[perilla oil|perilla]], and [[walnut oil]].  All "[[polymerize]]" on exposure to [[oxygen]] to form solid films, useful in [[paint]]s and [[varnish]]es.<ref name=drying>{{cite book |doi=10.1002/14356007.a09_055 |chapter=Drying Oils and Related Products |title=Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry |date=2001 |last1=Poth |first1=Ulrich |isbn=978-3-527-30385-4 }}</ref>

Triglycerides can also be split into methyl esters of the constituent fatty acids via [[transesterification]]: 
:{{chem2|RCO2CH(CH2O2CR')(CH2O2CR'')  +  3  CH3OH  ->  RCO2CH3 + R'CO2CH3 +  R''CO2CH3  +  HOCH(CH2OH)2}}
The resulting [[fatty acid methyl ester]]s can be used as fuel in [[diesel engine]]s, hence their name [[biodiesel]].