Camelina seed harvesting, storing, pretreating, and processing to recover oil: A review

Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] is cultivated worldwide as a rotational oilseed crop under a range of agronomic and environmental conditions. In recent years, interest in camelina has increased due to its short vegetation season, modest agricultural and environmental requirements for cultivation, high seed and biomass (straw) yield, high seed oil content, high polyunsaturated fatty acids content in the oil, and multiple uses. This paper is an overview of the initial steps of any camelina-based production process, such as plant cultivation and harvesting, seed pretreatment, and oil recovery. The main features of the camelina plant and seed are shortly described. The prominent issues of harvesting, cleaning, drying, storing, and pretreating of camelina seed are discussed. The main part of the paper is focused on oil recovery from the pretreated seed. The traits of various camelina oil recovery methods are stressed. The physicochemical properties and composition of camelina oil, with an emphasis on fatty acid profile and bioactive substances (tocopherols, vitamins, polyphenols, sterols, glucosinolates, etc.) contents, are considered. The traditional, actual, and prospective uses of camelina seed, oil, meal, and straw are briefly overviewed. Based on the fatty acid profile of the oil, the bioactive constituents of the meal, and the lignocellulosic content of straw, the camelina plant can be utilized in the biofuels, food, feed, and pharmaceutical industries. Future valorization of camelina should be based on full exploitation of its whole biomass in a biorefinery as it will give the high-added-value to its oil, meal, and straw.