Studies of camellia oil as edible oil and its antioxidative activity

The antioxidative ability and sensory characteristics of camellia oil were studied, to elucidate its potential as an edible oil. The measurement of its peroxide value (POV) showed that camellia oil was stable for more than 3 months at 40degC. The filtrate containing antioxidative substances was fractionated using column chromatography, and the fractions active toward Folin-Ciocalteu reagent were collected and isolated in two materials. HPLC showed that the first material was essentially composed of one compound and the second of three compounds. The NMR spectra of the two materials were similar to each other. The peaks in the aromatic region were superimposable on those of kaempferol, and the presence of a kaempferol moiety was strongly suspected. FAB-MS spectra showed that the molecular weights of the four compounds regularly increased by 100. Detailed structures of these compounds are now under investigation. Sensory evaluation of camellia oil in terms of its color, flavor, taste, and total evaluation was carried out. Although dressings prepared using without heat treatment were not preferred, fried spaghetti and fried potato using heated camellia oil were preferred over those prepared from salad oil with a significant difference.