## 1 Introduction  
Carrier oils, also known as fixed oils, \"vegetable\" oils, macerated oils, or oily extracts, are typically used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries; however, with increasing consumer demand for healthier and alternative plant-based oils, edible plant-based fixed oils are becoming increasingly popular in the food industry. According to [PERSON] and [PERSON] (2005) [1], the plant species yielding vegetable oils belong to 74 genera and 45 plant families. Fixed oils are usually obtained from the fatty parts of a plant (the kernels of nuts or seeds) via maceration, centrifugation, cold pressing, or extraction; the term \"fixed oils\" refers to a liquid mixture of non-volatile lipophilic substances remaining in the aroma-free material after the distillation of essential oils, consisting mainly of fats, resins, waxes, vitamins, and minerals [2; 3; 4].  
Plant-based fixed oils are the principal source of essential fatty acids for the human organism, such as linoleic and \(\alpha\)-linolenic acids, which are vital for proper growth, development, inflammation control, and reduction in risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer, and arthritis. Moreover, vegetable oils are a rich source of phenolic compounds, vitamins, tocopherols, pigments, and minerals that are beneficial to human health; they also occasionally demonstrate antibiotic as well as antimicrobial properties [5; 6; 7].  
In recent years, improving living standards and increased public awareness of nutrition and health care have led to remarkable changes in consumer choice of edible oils. Apart from the common edible oils, many healthy and nutritious edible plant-based fixed oils have emerged and become popular, complementing and augmenting other edible oil sources [8]. Research to date has mainly focused either on the nutritional value of some common vegetable oils or on the analysis of the chemical composition of specific edible oils and their comparison with those of common edible oils [6; 7]. However, more data are needed on the direct comparison of edible plant-based fixed oils in order to collect information and evaluate their added health value, enabling their use as new alternative sources of edible oils within foods.  
The aim of the present research study was to characterize and assess the composition, quality characteristics, and oxidative stability of twenty-six edible plant-based fixed oils, including walnut, linseed, sesame, almond, hazelnut, pumpkin seed, avocado, black cumin, coffee bean, pine cone, evening primrose, grape seed, plum, pomegranate, mustard seed, sea buckthorn, chia seed, carrot, peanut, apricot, milk thistle, macadamia, canola, soybean, poppy seed, and virgin coconut oils, based on chromatographic, chromatic, and spectroscopic techniques coupled with chemometrics. In a further step, the research is focused on the nutritional quality of the aforementioned oils, which can be consumed for their health benefits or can enrich and supplement other vegetable oils. Additionally, the present study can contribute to the cultivation of diverse oil crops, enhancing new market trends and leading to the development of healthier food products with improved quality characteristics.