Chemical Evaluation of Seeds of Some Sesame Varieties

Abstract

Oil seeds are commodities of strategic importance as staple food for human nutrition, and the processing of oil seeds to oils, fats and press cakes is also one of the initial steps in the development of agricultural processing. Area under oilseeds exceeds 205 million hectare worldwide, yielding on average 293 million tons per year of oil seeds; Current world production amounts to about 105-110 million tons of vegetable oi Is and 185-190 million tons of oil cakes (lTC, 2001).

Sesame seeds are unique from a compositional and nutritional stand point. Besides being a good source of several vitamins and many minerals (Joh nson and Peterson, 1974), they are an excellent source of protein and oil, so they are considered among the leading agricultural crops of the world for production of edible oil and plant protein.

Sesame plant (Sesamum spp.) had been cultivated since antiquity, it was one of the oldest crops known to humans. Reference to the plant was made in very early Egyptian and Assyrian records. The species currently grown commercially is (Sesamwn indicum L. Pedaliaceae) (Co nsid ine and Considine, 1982). Crude sesame oil is of high quality and can be used as a salad oil with little or no winterizing, it is consumed largely as a cooking and salad oil, and is hydrogenated for margarine and shortening manufacture (Lyon, 1972). Lipid oxidation not only lowers the quality and nutritive value of food but also causes harmful diseases for human health (Frankel, 1984). Vegetable oils such as sunflower oil which are relatively high in linoleic acid are susceptible for auto-oxidation. Extend the she! f life and