Phytosterol-enriched Camellia oleifera Abel seed oil obtained by subcritical butane extraction: Physicochemical properties and oxidative stability.

Tea (Camellia oleifera Abel) seed oil (TSO) has antioxidant and pharmacological properties. In this study, TSO was obtained from tea seeds by subcritical n-butane extraction (SBE), which is an environmentally friendly method. The oil yield, quality characteristics, and chemical composition of the extracted TSO were compared with those of oils obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SCDE) and conventional cold pressing (CP). The TSO yield from SBE (51.35 %) was similar to that from SCDE (50.30 %), but higher than that from CP (31.82 %). TSO from SBE had better oxidative stability than that from SCDE and a lower toxic aldehyde content (0.41 mg/L) than that from SCDE (0.71 mg/L) and CP (2.67 mg/L). Moreover, TSO from SBE had relatively high tocopherols (26.20 mg/100 g) and phytosterols (842.25 mg/100 g) contents. Based on these findings, SBE is a promising method for obtaining high-quality TSO enriched with tocopherols and phytosterols.