Journal of Taiwan Agricultural Research

Author:Ya-Lin Lee*, Wei-Ting Liu, Tzu-Huan Hung, Su-Yue Lin, Yi-Han Ho, Ying-Fu Lee, Chia-Hua Chang, Chiu-Hua Chen, and Pei-Jung Chang

Abstract:

The seeds of Camellia brevistyla, an indigenous Taiwanese camellia tree, were collected for the study of three different drying methods, including sun drying, hot air and air fan indoor to reduce moisture. The resulting seeds were roasted and then screw pressed to produce oils. The oil quality was monitored with acid value and peroxide value analyses, the bioactive ingredients with total phenolics and vitamin E content analyses, and the bioactivity with reducing power evaluation. The oil stability index (OSI) was determined to evaluate the storage and cooking stability. Summarily, the fresh oil made of sun drying seeds possessed the highest quality. However, its storage stability was lower than the hot air dried seeds’ oil. The hot air treatment effectively increased the total phenolics and elevated the oil storage stability. Nevertheless, air fan indoor drying method could have higher total phenolics than the sun drying seeds, but its oil quality declined rapidly during the storage period; it was probably related to the low content of vitamin E. This study suggests that the hot air drying method could replace the traditional sun drying method, or the sun drying treatment prior to the hot air drying which could shorten the drying time and provide both good oil quality and better oxidation stability.

Key words:Camellia brevistyla seed, Oil seed drying method, Oil quality, Bioactive ingredients, Oil oxidative stability.

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