Abstract:
Abstract: Camellia seed oil is a kind of high-quality plant oil and has rich unsaturated fatty acids, but it is prone to oxidize and deteriorate during storage and processing. The quality of camellia seed oil is not only closely related to the processing and storage technologies, but also associated with the quality of raw material. Every plant presents its suitable moisture content, and too much or too little moisture could affect its growth and quality. The appropriate moisture content is therefore essential for the quality control, bioactivity and components of camellia seed. In this study, the effects of different moisture levels (7%, 10%, 13%, 16% and 20%) on the quality and nutritional changes of oil-tea camellia seed were investigated during the storage. The results showed that the physiological and nutritional quality of camellia seed could be kept well at the lower water content. The soluble proteins of camellia seed with 7% moisture was reduced by 13.05 mg/g during the storage, which was the least decline, and the reduction rate of soluble proteins of camellia with 20% moisture content was the fastest, which was basically the same with the change of soluble sugar. Too high moisture content could easily induce camellia oil's rancidity and deterioration. The acid value and peroxide value of camellia seed in 20% humidity treatment group was the highest, and 7% treatment was the lowest. In addition, the composition of fatty acids in 7% treatment was more stable to maintain the oleic acid content of camellia seed oil, and the content of β-sitosterol and other nutritional indices could be kept well. In summary, the 7% moisture content of camellia seed was the better condition for the camellia seed storage, the 10% moisture content treatment was the second, and the treatment of 20% moisture content was the worst condition; and the same was its oil. Comprehensively considering the quality and the cost of the seed, the camellia seed with the moisture content of less than 10% could ensure the quality of seeds, while the moisture content of 20% was not suitable for its storage. The study provides a strong theoretical basis for reasonable storage of camellia seed.