Effect of Se Enrichment on Improving the Quality of Camellia Oil from Different Source Varieties

Abstract

Se-enriched camellia oil has received increasing attention because it can improve the Se intake of diet for Se deficiency areas and has a wide spectrum of biological effects. Six main cultivars of camellia oil in Guangxi, including Camellia oleifera cenxiruanzhi 2 (CR2), CR3, C. oleifera xianglin 4 (XL4), XL40, C. oleifera changlin 1 (CL1), and CL210, were selected for fertilization experiment to produce Se-enriched camellia oil and investigated the effect of Se enrichment on quality. The Se content in camellia oil of six varieties was significantly increased by Se fertilizer application. CR2 had the maximum Se content and raise ratio compared to CK, which was 0.87 mg kg−1 and fourfold, respectively. The Se contents in XL1, XL210, CR3, CL4, and CL40 improved by 2.14-, 2.77-, 3.58-, 2.56-, and 3.79-fold, respectively. Se fertilizer reduced the acid and peroxide values and increased the squalene and tocopherol contents. The acid value decreased by 38.29%–61.30%, the peroxide value decreased by 20.66%–61.79%, the tocopherol content increased by 7.76%–32.78%, and the squalene content increased by 13.53%–77.39%. The quality indices were significantly different among camellia oil varieties. Principal component analysis showed that CR2 obtained the highest score by comprehensive evaluation. Se fertilization, particularly for CR2 species, can significantly increase the contents of Se as well as functional components, such as squalene and tocopherol, and thus improve the quality of camellia oil