Recent advances in tea seeds (Camellia Sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze): Active ingredients, health effects, and potential applications

Tea seed (TS), as the mature fruit and growth source of tea plant, has been characterized with appealing bioactive substances, remarkable health benefits and diverse application prospects. As one of the most significant products of TS, tea seed oil (TSO) has gained recognition as the “oriental olive oil”. Tea seed meal (TSM) and tea seed shell (TSS) continue to be underutilized and are usually considered as low-value by-products. Nevertheless, current exploration of the underlying mechanisms is inadequate, and investigations concerning deep processing and potential prospects still remain at their infancy. Consequently, there exists a gap in the comprehensive aspects of TS utilization and the related advancements. In this review, we have summarized the latest research progresses on TS, specifically focused on the bioactive substances, pharmacological activities, manufacturing process and potential applications. Furthermore, we have also elucidated the current challenges in existing studies, and proposed the research orientations and potential prospects of TS. TS contain abundant bioactive substances, and exhibit outstanding performance in antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-obesity, anti-microbe, gastric protection, and so on. These properties contribute to its application potentials as crucial materials in industry, agriculture and ecology, as well as new perspective in drug development and clinical translation. Future researches should concentrate on the specific active ingredients, intricate structure-activity relationships, bioactive mechanisms, undiscovered health benefits and manufacturing process, which would facilitate the transformation of waste resources into valuable treasures, thus fostering sustainable development and socio-economic growth.