Camellia (Camellia oleifera Abel.) seeds are considerably nutritious and extensively used for edible oil extraction. This study aimed to enhance the extraction process and quality of camellia seed oil by investigating the impact of cold plasma (CP) pre-treatment, specifically dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and plasma-activated water (PAW), on camellia seed quality. The results revealed that CP pre-treatment induced structural modifications in camellia seeds, leading to increased oil yield, higher carotenoid content, and facilitated water loss during drying. Specifically, DBD and PAW pre-treatments increased oil yield by 20.16% and 12.61%, respectively. Additionally, after DBD and PAW pre-treatments, the carotenoid content increased by 11.8% and 7.9%, respectively. However, CP pre-treatment was observed to exert a slight influence on the scavenging activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. After DBD treatment, the DPPH radical scavenging rate decreased by 11.7%; nonetheless, other antioxidant indicators, such as the total phenolic content, 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical scavenging activity, and the tocopherol content, were not affected. Moreover, CP pre-treatment was found to have a certain impact on the stability of oil quality, leading to an increase in the peroxide value, while the acid value remained unaffected. Specifically, DBD treatment increased the peroxide value by 17.6%. In conclusion, CP pre-treatment holds promise in enhancing the yield and quality of camellia seed oil.

山茶花（Camellia oleifera Abel.）种子营养丰富，广泛用于提取食用油。本研究旨在通过研究冷等离子体（CP）预处理，特别是介质阻挡放电（DBD）和等离子体活化水（PAW）对山茶籽质量的影响，提高山茶籽油的提取工艺和质量。结果表明，CP预处理诱导了油茶种子的结构改变，导致油产量增加，类胡萝卜素含量增加，并促进干燥过程中的水分流失。具体来说，DBD和PAW预处理分别使出油率提高了20.16%和12.61%。此外，经过DBD和PAW预处理后，类胡萝卜素含量分别增加了11.8%和7.9%。然而，观察到 CP 预处理对 2,2-二苯基-1-三硝基苯肼 (DPPH) 自由基的清除活性产生轻微影响。 DBD处理后，DPPH自由基清除率下降11.7%；然而，其他抗氧化指标，例如总酚含量、2,2-连氮基双-3-乙基苯并噻唑啉-6-磺酸自由基清除活性和生育酚含量，并未受到影响。而且，CP预处理对油品的稳定性有一定的影响，导致过氧化值升高，而酸值则不受影响。具体来说，DBD处理使过氧化值增加了17.6%。总之，CP 预处理有望提高山茶籽油的产量和质量。