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Final Exam Paper

Camellia Oil

Introduction

Camellia oil, also known as camellia seed oil, is extracted from the seeds of Camellia oleifera Abel, a plant belonging to the Theaceae family, through solvent extraction or pressing. It is pale yellow, clear and transparent with a delicate fragrance. Camellia oleifera, commonly referred to as mountain camellia, wild tea, or white-flowered tea, is a traditional edible woody oilseed tree native to China, boasting a cultivation history of over 2,000 years. It is widely grown in more than 800 counties across 18 provinces, primarily in the Yangtze River Basin and southern provinces such as Sichuan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, and Yunnan, with Hunan having the largest cultivation area.

Camellia oil, along with olive oil, palm oil, and coconut oil, is known as one of the world's four major woody edible oils. Compared to oilseeds of herbaceous edible oils, woody oil plants grow in mountainous and hilly areas without the need for fertilization or pesticide application. Camellia oleifera has a long growth cycle: it blooms in autumn with a flowering period of 2 to 3 months, and the time from flowering to fruit ripening is one year, which is commonly known as "bearing fruit while carrying the next generation" among the people. Therefore, woody oils are superior to herbaceous oils. The oil extracted from its seeds is a genuine green edible vegetable oil, free from harmful substances such as aflatoxin B1 (a strong carcinogen), erucic acid, and gossypol, making it a premium edible oil.

Research and analysis have shown that the fatty acid composition of camellia oil is particularly similar to that of olive oil, the preferred edible oil in European and American developed countries. The content of oleic acid and linoleic acid exceeds 80%. It is not only an edible oil with excellent color, aroma, and taste but also has the effect of preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and atherosclerosis. Currently, camellia oil has been gradually applied in China's food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and other industries, with broad market potential.

Camellia Oil Industry

From the perspective of the overall changes in the concentration ratio of China's camellia seed output among the top five provinces, in 2007, the top five provinces in terms of camellia seed output as a proportion of the national total were Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Fujian, and Zhejiang, accounting for 85.54%. In 2021, the top five provinces were Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Hubei, and Guangdong, accounting for 83.82%. From 2007 to 2021, the proportion of camellia seed output of the top five provinces in the national total remained above 80%, indicating that the camellia industry has extremely obvious industrial agglomeration characteristics. At the same time, the proportion of camellia seed output showed a fluctuating downward trend, decreasing by 2.22% in 2021 compared with 2007. This indicates that regions suitable for camellia cultivation across the country are vigorously promoting camellia planting, the camellia planting area is continuously expanding, and the camellia planting pattern is constantly optimizing. The proportion of Fujian, Zhejiang, and other regions in the southeast has gradually decreased, and in 2021, it evolved into a pattern with Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi in the central region and Guangxi, Guangdong in the southern region as the main producing areas. Among them, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Guangxi have always ranked among the top three in terms of proportion, making them veritable major camellia oil industry provinces.

Efficacy of Camellia Oil

Records of extracting oil from camellia seeds for edible use in China date back more than 2,000 years. "Shan Hai Jing" (Classic of Mountains and Seas) states: "Yuan Mu (round wood) is an edible oil plant in the south." "Yuan Mu" refers to camellia oleifera. Song Yingxing in "Tian Gong Kai Wu" (Exploitation of the Works of Nature) praised it for its "excellent taste." Many ancient medical books have also recorded the medicinal functions of camellia oil. Li Shizhen's "Ben Cao Gang Mu" (Compendium of Materia Medica) notes: "Camellia seeds are bitter, cold, fragrant, and slightly toxic; they mainly treat asthma and cough, and remove phlegm and dirt." "Nong Zheng Quan Shu" (Complete Works of Agriculture) records that camellia oil can cure hemorrhoids and relieve damp-heat. "Ben Cao Gang Mu Shi Yi" (Supplements to Compendium of Materia Medica) states: "Camellia oil can moisten the intestines, clear the stomach, detoxify, and kill bacteria." "Nong Xi Ju Yin Shi Pu" (Dietary Guidelines for Farmers' Rest) mentions: "Camellia oil moistens dryness, clears heat, calms wind, and benefits the head and eyes." "Sui Xi Ju Yin Shi Pu" (Dietary Guidelines for Daily Living) highly praises camellia oil: "Camellia oil is suitable for cooking all kinds of dishes in daily use. Eating it steamed makes the hair shiny and smooth. Among all oils, it is the lightest and clearest, so it is not prohibited for any diseases." Obviously, our ancestors have long regarded camellia oil as a premium product for prolonging life, maintaining beauty, and enhancing appearance.

In China, the saying "Food tonic is better than medicinal tonic" is deeply rooted in people's hearts. Residents in camellia oil-producing areas attach great importance to exerting the nutritional and health-care effects of camellia oil in their traditional eating habits, thus summarizing three major advantages: Pregnant women consuming camellia oil during pregnancy can not only increase breast milk but also be very beneficial to the normal development of the fetus; infants and children consuming camellia oil can promote qi circulation, relieve constipation, clear internal heat, and aid digestion, which is very helpful for promoting the growth and development of bones and other parts; the elderly consuming camellia oil can reduce internal heat, maintain beauty, improve eyesight, blacken hair, delay aging, and live a long and healthy life. Therefore, residents in camellia oil-producing areas have given camellia oil an elegant name—"longevity oil" or "confinement oil." In camellia oil-producing areas, newborn babies are rubbed all over with camellia oil to prevent eczema. The elderly also often apply camellia oil to their bodies after bathing to prevent skin itching in winter. Camellia oil is also the best beauty product for women; when used for hair care, it can prevent hair breakage and hair loss.

International Recognition of Camellia Oil's Efficacy

Many years ago, the German biweekly magazine "Frauen" published an article titled "The Secret of Tea Tree Oil," stating that Australians use camellia oil to prevent colds, bronchitis, sore throats, muscle aches, sprains, boils and herpes caused by insect bites, foot fungal infections, sunburn, scratches, abrasions, and gingivitis. It can also enhance the body's immune function, and camellia oil was hailed as a "panacea." Camellia oil has similar functions to olive oil, and its composition is even superior to that of olive oil. Dr. Simopoulos, Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, praised it as "the best edible vegetable oil in the world." These fully prove that camellia oil is a high-grade edible oil completely comparable to olive oil, and a veritable "Oriental Olive Oil."

Application Prospects of Camellia Oil

Camellia oil is extremely beneficial to human health. In recent years, with the decreasing resources of similar products (olive oil), countries such as Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have begun to attach importance to the development and application of camellia oil, and its market price has been rising. In China's Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan regions and Southeast Asian countries, refined camellia oil has become a sought-after product and daily necessity for the elderly; in the U.S. market, there has also been an upsurge in the use of high-oleic acid vegetable oils such as camellia oil. With the continuous improvement of living standards, people's pursuit of food nutrition and health will also continue to increase. As a high-grade vegetable oil rich in essential fatty acids and various vitamins for the human body, camellia oil can change the nutritional imbalance caused by a single oil, fully balance human nutrition, and is conducive to physical health. It conforms to the contemporary trend of oil consumption and has broad prospects.

References

[1] Wang Jiangrong, Liu Rong, Zhang Lingfu, Deng Zhijian, Huang Li. On the Nutritional Value and Health Care Functions of Camellia Oil[J]. Jiangsu Condiment and Non-staple Food, 2009.

[2] Liu Bo, Li Dan. Health Care Functions and Application Status of Camellia Oil[J]. Tea Bulletin, 2008.

[3] Zhang Zhaoxu, Li Zhi, Zhang Lichun. Research on the Geographical Agglomeration Characteristics and Influencing Factors of China's Camellia Industry[J]. Grain and Oil Food Science and Technology, 2025.

Terms and Expressions

Camellia Seed（油茶籽）

Camellia Oil（茶籽油）

Edible Oil（食用油）

Olive Oil（橄榄油）

Fatty Acid（脂肪酸）

Cardiovascular Disease（心血管疾病）

Questions

1. What are the world's four major woody edible oils?

2. How long does it take for camellia oleifera to ripen from flowering to fruiting?

3. Which three provinces are major camellia oil industry provinces?

4. Which oil is known as the "Oriental Olive Oil"?

Answers

1. Camellia oil, olive oil, palm oil, and coconut oil.

2. One year.

3. Hunan, Jiangxi, and Guangxi.

4. Camellia oil.