Abstract
The oil contents and fatty acid (FA) compositions of ten new and one wild Camellia oleifera varieties were investigated. Oil contents in camellia seeds from new C. oleifera varied with cultivars from 41.92% to 53.30% and were affected by cultivation place. Average oil content (47.83%) of dry seeds from all ten new cultivars was almost the same as that of wild common C. oleifera seeds (47.06%). New C. oleifera cultivars contained similar FA compositions which included palmitic acid (C16:0, PA), palmitoleic acid (C16:1), stearic acid (C18:0, SA), oleic acid (C18:1, OA), linoleic acid (C18:2, LA), linolenic acid (C18:3), eicosenoic acid (C20:1), and tetracosenoic acid (C24:1). Predominant FAs in mature seeds were OA (75.78%~81.39%), LA (4.85%~10.79%), PA (7.68%~10.01%), and SA (1.46%~2.97%) and OA had the least coefficient of variation among different new cultivars. Average ratio of single FA of ten artificial C. oleifera cultivars was consistent with that of wild common C. oleifera. All cultivars contained the same ratios of saturated FA (SFA) and unsaturated FA (USFA). Oil contents and FA profiles of new cultivars were not significantly affected by breeding and selection.
Highlights
The genus Camellia (Theaceae) is native to East Asia and comprises more than 200 woody evergreen species
Oil contents in camellia seeds from new C. oleifera varied with cultivars from 41.92% to 53.30% and were affected by cultivation place
Predominant fatty acid (FA) in mature seeds were OA (75.78%∼81.39%), LA (4.85%∼10.79%), PA (7.68%∼10.01%), and Stearic acid OA (SA) (1.46%∼2.97%) and OA had the least coefficient of variation among different new cultivars
Summary
The genus Camellia (Theaceae) is native to East Asia and comprises more than 200 woody evergreen species. In Chinese herbal medicine, it was considered as a superior nutritional dietary supplement that benefits the digestive system, reduces blood cholesterol, regulates the nervous system, and strengthens the immune system [2,3,4,5]. It was traditionally applied as a medicine for burning injury and new-born baby lotion in some place in China [6]. C. oleifera Abel forests were mainly formed by nature or planted by human but nurtured by nature, and the yield of camellia oil per unit was very low, only 37.50∼ 86.85 kg/ha for a long time in China [11]. In order to explore the features of new C. oleifera cultivars, oil contents and FA profiles of ten new C. oleifera cultivars cultivated in different provinces in China were investigated
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