Tea oil

Tea oil (also known as camellia oil) is an edible, pale amber-green essential oilwith a sweet, herbal aroma. It is cold-pressed mainly from the seedsof Camellia oleifera but also from Camellia sinensis or Camellia japonica.

With its high smoke point(485° F.), tea oil is the main cooking oilin the southern provinces of China—roughly one-seventh of the country's population. In Japan tea oil is derived from Camellia japonica, mainly from Goto Islandsof Nagasaki Prefectureand Izu Islandsof Tokyo Prefecture.

Tea oil resembles olive oiland grape seed oilin its excellent storage qualities and low content of saturated fatand unsaturated fat. Monounsaturatedoleic acidmay comprise up to 88% of the fatty acids. It is high in vitamin Eand other antioxidantsand low in trans fat.

In addition to its use in salad dressings, dips, marinadesand sauces, for sautéing, stir fryingand fryingand in margarineproduction, tea oil is used to manufacture soap, hair oil, lubricants, paintand a rustproofing oil as well as in synthesisof other high molecular weightcompounds. Japanese tea oil is used for setting the hair of Sumowrestlers and for tempura.

Tea oil should not be confused with tea tree oil, an essential oil extracted from the leaves of the paperbarkMelaleuca alternifolia and used for medicinalpurposes.

External links

• {{Book reference

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

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It uses material from the Wikipedia article Tea oil.