Endogenous biophenol, fatty acid and volatile profiles of selected oils

Fatty acid composition, total phenols, phenolic and volatile profile data are presented for cold-pressed and refined camellia oil, in comparison to other commercially available oils – avocado, pumpkin, sesame and soybean – representing a cross-section of bulk, “bland” oils (e.g., soybean) through to more boutique oils consumed primarily for taste (e.g., pumpkin). Camellia oil has a high oleic acid content, low polyunsaturated acid content, and levels of endogenous phenols comparable, in quantity and diversity, to cold-pressed oils. Volatile profiles of camellia oil are also comparable to cold-pressed oils, in that alkanals are the dominant headspace compounds, as measured by solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography. These factors suggest that camellia oil may find much wider commercial acceptance outside its current market range, southern China.