Tea oil

From Freepedia

Tea oil (also known as camellia oil) is an edible pale amber-green essential oil with an herbal aroma and a somewhat sweet flavor. It is cold-pressed mainly from the seeds of Camellia oleifera but also from Camellia sinensis.

With its high smoke point (485° F.), tea oil is the main cooking oil in the southern provinces of China, roughly one-seventh of the population of the country. It resembles olive oil and grape seed oil in its excellent storage qualities and low content of monounsaturated fat ( mainly oleic acid). It is high in vitamin E and other antioxidants and low in trans fat.

In addition to its use in salad dressings, dips, marinades and sauces, for sautéing, [stir frying]] and frying and in margarine production, tea oil is used to manufacture soap, hair oil, lubricants, paint and a rustproof oil as well as in synthesis of other high molecular weight compounds.

Tea oil should not be confused with tea tree oil, an essential oil extracted from the leaves of the paperbark Melaleuca alternifolia and used for medicinal purposes.

External links

{{Chapter reference | Author=Ruter, John M. | Year=2002 | Title=Nursery production of tea oil camellia under different light | Editor=J.Janick and A.Whipkey (eds.) | Book=Trends in new crops and new uses | Pages=pp. 222-224 | Publisher=Alexandria, VA: ASHS Press | ID=ISBN 09-970756-5-5}} (available online)