Flavour analysis of different varieties of camellia seed oil and the effect of the refining process on flavour substances

The variations in the flavour substances of different varieties of camellia seed oil and the effect of the refining process were studied by headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) combined with principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that in different kinds and different processing stages of camellia seed oil, the flavour substances were mainly composed of aldehydes, ketones, heterocycles, alcohols, esters and acids. Moreover, the contents of aldehydes and ketones significantly were higher than the rest substances. These substances with a relative odour activity value (ROAV) greater than 1 in the sample were selected as the analysis objects to evaluate influence on flavor of camellia seed oil. The flavour fingerprints from different Camellia varieties and the effect of refining stages on the flavor of camellia seed oil were established based on the detected volatile compounds.