Effect of thermal pretreatment on quality of Camellia oleifera seed oil by wet extraction: Focusing on bioactive components, flavor and lipid composition

Appropriate pretreatment before wet extraction is beneficial to destroy the structure of Camellia oleifera seeds and facilitate lipid release, which can improve the oil yield and quality characteristics. This study investigated the effect of various thermal pretreatments (microwave, infrared, roasting, and frying) on the bioactive components, antioxidant capacity, flavor and lipid composition of wet-processed Camellia oleifera seed oil (COSO). The results showed that COSO pretreated by microwave had an oil yield of 36.99 % and contained the highest contents of polyphenol, carotenoid and tocopherol. Subsequently, HS-SPMS-GC–MS recognized 63 volatile compounds. ROAV and PCA analysis revealed that microwave and infrared pretreatment resulted in nutty roasted aroma, while roasting, and frying produced buttery breaded aroma. In addition, a total of 169 lipid components were identified by lipid composition, covering 5 lipid classes and 22 lipid subclasses. This study provides theoretical guidance for the pretreatment before COSO extraction with potential applications. [Display omitted] •Effects of different pretreatments on COSO wet processing were evaluated.•COSO derived from microwave pretreatment showed higher antioxidant ability.•HS-SPMS-GC–MS identified 63 volatile compounds in Camellia oleifera seed oil.•22 lipid subclasses with a total of 169 lipid components were identified.