Mango Seed: Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Seed and Its Fats

Abstract Lipids, and particularly vegetable fats and oils, are very important compounds for human life and health and are highly desirable for their effect on the functional properties of food too. Mango kernel seed is a waste available in large quantities in the tropical and subtropical productive regions of the world. Mango seed kernel has shown to have interesting nutritional and bioactive constituents, with a positive impact on human health. Mango kernel fat is a natural fat free of trans-fatty acid with characteristics that give it the possibility to replace a wide range of edible industrial fats, among them are the unhealthy and widely used types obtained from the partial hydrogenation of oils and those highly appreciated for their resemblance to cocoa butter. In this chapter, the knowledge gained about mango kernel and fat characteristics and their properties from different varieties cultivated worldwide, as well as the most relevant assessments for their use, were reviewed.