As one of the four important woody oilseeds, camellia seeds have the advantages of high yield and nutritional value. The chemical composition of camellia seed oil is determined not only by camellia variety and the planting environment but also by extraction conditions. Due to its high content of unsaturated fatty acid, camellia seed oil is prone to oxidative degradation during processing, which leads to quality degradation. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the effects of different extraction methods on the chemical composition and quality of camellia seed oil and choose the suitable encapsulation method to protect it. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the differences in the composition and content of camellia seed oil from different regions and varieties. In general, the oleic acid content of camellia seed oil is higher in high-altitude regions. The average level of oleic acid in camellia seed oil from Southwest China is higher than that in South China, East China, and Central China. Compared with traditional extraction techniques for camellia seed oil, emerging extraction techniques are superior in terms of extraction efficiency and retention of bioactive constituents but have some drawbacks such as higher costs. Finally, this review summarizes the latest advances in encapsulation technologies for camellia seed oil, discusses their deficiencies, and concludes with an outlook on future prospects, with a view to providing a reference for the application and development of camellia seed oil.

In this study, fish oil-curcumin microcapsules were prepared by using heat-denatured whey protein isolate (hWPI), whey protein isolate (WPI), and maltodextrin (MD) as wall materials, and its physicochemical properties were analyzed. The results showed that the particle size distribution of the prepared nano-emulsion, consisting of 5% hWPI, 5% WPI, and 5% MD, was unimodal. The surface of the microcapsules showed no cracks, and the encapsulation efficiency reached up to 96.5%. Curcumin addition did not significantly affect the particle size, ζ-potential, or encapsulation efficiency, yet it markedly improved the microcapsules’ re-dissolution rate (from 74.65% to 82.01%) and slightly enhanced the thermal stability. These results could be explained by the fact that curcumin and protein formed a soluble complex through hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonds. As the content of curcumin increased, more curcumin was adsorbed to the oil-water interface, which delayed the degradation of polyunsaturated fatty acids and improved the oxidative stability of microcapsules. After storage at 45 ℃ for 35 days, the retention rates of curcumin, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the 0.2% curcumin-loaded microcapsules were 81%, 39% and 39%, respectively. This study provides a reference for the development of industrial microcapsule products of functional oils and polyphenols.