Occurrence of fatty acids in Camellia genus: Extractions technologies and potential applications: A review

The Camellia genus (Theaceae) comprises more than 200 species, including the most famous Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze, Camellia oleifera Abel, and Camellia japonica (L.). The commercial interest in these plants linked to their seed fatty acid content increased in the last decades due to their quality and health-enhancing properties, which significantly depend on different aspects such as environmental conditions. Nowadays, the traditional extraction methods of fatty acids from camellias include mechanical press extraction and solvent extraction, which have a high environmental impact. Therefore, it is essential to develop extraction techniques to achieve the maximum lipid yield with the minimum environmental impact and cost. These innovative methods include enzymatic extraction, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). However, they are often limited to the laboratory or pilot scale due to economic or technical bottlenecks. This article aims to explore recent advances and innovations related to the extraction of fatty acids from Camellia.