Molecular Detection for Identification and Seed Adulteration of Camellia Oils Based on Chloroplast Simple Sequence Repeat Markers

Tea seed oil is a popular cooking oil in Chinese traditional culture, but its high cost makes it a target for adulteration. This study presents a novel method for detecting seed adulteration of tea seed oil in Taiwan using chloroplast simple sequence repeat (cpSSR) markers. The complete chloroplast genome of Camellia oleifera was analyzed, and two cpSSR markers were designed that show polymorphism between C. oleifera and C. brevistyla . The study found identical genotypes between self-sibs and their mother tree in C. brevistyla , demonstrating stability of maternal inheritance. Two cpSSRs could be used for genotyping at each step of oil-making procedure; the best checkpoint is before crude oil. Two cpSSR markers could be used for identification of two Taiwan local tea-seed oil from imported seeds and be potential for tea-seed oil certification and adulteration detection in the future.