Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis ›› 2026, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (6): 1141-1152.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20250542

• Future Foods and Health • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Process optimization and oxidative stability analysis of Camellia oleifera seed oil via supercritical carbon dioxide extraction

LI Peng1(), ZHAN Xi2, ZHANG Hui1,*()   

  1. 1 College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
    2 Zhejiang Publishing United Group, Hangzhou 310006, China
  • Received:2025-08-14 Online:2026-06-25 Published:2026-07-14

Abstract:

Camellia oleifera seed oil, a unique woody oil native to China, is rich in various nutrients and bioactive compounds and is widely used in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Efficient extraction of high-quality C. oleifera seed oil is a key prerequisite for its high-value utilization. Based on the properties of supercritical fluids, this study used a central composite design-response surface methodology (CCD-RSM) to systematically investigate the effects of temperature (35-95 ℃), pressure (8-40 MPa), equilibration time (10-50 min) and extraction time (12-60 min) on oil yield, as well as on the contents of squalene and triterpene alcohols in the oil during supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction. A second-order polynomial regression model of the independent variables was established to predict the optimal process conditions, and the chemical composition and antioxidant capacity of the oil obtained under the optimal conditions were analyzed. Three optimal conditions were derived from the prediction model: Y1 (temperature 75 ℃, pressure 35.2 MPa, equilibration time 25.5 min, extraction time 50.2 min) for maximizing oil yield; Y2 (temperature 55 ℃, pressure 20.4 MPa, equilibration time 38.8 min, extraction time 14.3 min) for maximizing squalene content; and Y3 (temperature 70 ℃, pressure 10.8 MPa, equilibration time 19.9 min, extraction time 41.1 min) for maximizing triterpene alcohol content. Under different extraction conditions, significant differences were observed in oil yield, squalene content, triterpene alcohol content and antioxidant capacity, whereas the fatty acid composition remained largely similar. The measured values under the optimal conditions were in good agreement with the model predictions: oil yield under Y1 was 23.96% (mass fraction), squalene content under Y2 was 288.89 mg·kg-1, and triterpene alcohol content under Y3 was 2 283.50 mg·kg-1. This study confirms that supercritical fluid extraction can selectively enhance the levels of bioactive compounds in C. oleifera seed oil, providing a theoretical reference and practical support for obtaining high-quality oil and promoting its high-value applications.

Key words: Camellia oleifera seed oil, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, response surface methodology, chemical composition, antioxidant capacity, squalene, triterpene alcohol

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