Sesame: sesame oil and sesame seeds

; the squeezing residue is called sesame flour (it is similar to hazelnut flour).

For the Indian and African population, sesame is a food of primary importance and the oil obtained from it is the equivalent of our extra virgin olive oil. Refined sesame oil is light yellow in color, odorless and with a distinctive and pleasant flavor.

Currently, there is an increase in the consumption of sesame seeds and derivatives also in the West, especially thanks to their nutritional properties (quality of fats, fibers, vitamins and minerals).

; energy is provided above all by lipids, followed by carbohydrates and finally by proteins. There is an abundance of fibers, many minerals and certain vitamins. Water, on the other hand, is scarce.

Not belonging to the Mediterranean food culture, sesame is a product that does not fall into any of the VII fundamental food groups. Despite being a seed (normally grouped in groups III and IV), sesame is rich in fats and (like walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, almonds and pistachios) it is better contextualized between fats and seasoning oils (V group ).

Like other oil seeds, sesame is also one of the most frequent causes of allergic reactions in sensitive people.

In Australia, sesame allergy affects 8.5% of the population.

Sesame fats

The lipid content of sesame is among the highest in its category.

In each fruit, the percentage of oil fluctuates from 40 to 60% (against 15-35% of the mature olive); this determines its high yield in oily extraction.

The triglycerides of sesame seeds are rich in oleic acid (also typical of olive oil) and linoleic acid (omega six essential and precursor of other fats of the same family), contained in similar proportions (40% approx each); saturated fatty acids abound in palmitic and stearic acid.

Vitamins of sesame

Sesame is an "excellent source of vitamins; it provides both water-soluble and fat-soluble molecules. In the first group, the concentrations of B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), PP (Niacin), Pyridoxine (B6) and Folate stand out. , the most important is - albeit in modest doses - vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), which together with sesamol preserves the oil from anyway easy rancidity; this vitamin also gives the seeds and sesame oil valuable antioxidant properties.

Carbohydrates and fiber of sesame

Sesame is rich in fibers, which make up 12% of the weight, while carbohydrates occupy about 23% of the total mass (15% of the energy).

Sesame protein

Sesame seeds are rich in proteins of medium biological value, in whose amino acid profile stands out the high percentage of methionine and tryptophan; the limiting amino acid is lysine, therefore the same as wheat.

Sesame minerals

In sesame seeds we find very high quantities of calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc.

Sesame antioxidants

Sesame seeds contain antioxidant lignan substances such as: sesamolin, sesamine, pinoresinol and lariciresinol.

Antinutrients of sesame

It is worth noting the presence of phytates and oxalates, which tends to slightly reduce the very high intake of calcium and iron.

  Sesame seeds, dried Nutritional values ​​per 100 g % RDA Power 573.0 kcal   TOT Carbohydrates 23.4 g   Starch 23.1 g   Soluble sugars 0.3 g   Fibers 11.8 g   Fat 49.7 g   of which saturated 7.0 g   of which Trans - g   of which Monounsaturated 18.8 g   of which polyunsaturated 21.8 g   of which omega-3 - g   of which omega-6 - g   Proteins 17.7 g   Waterfall 4.7 g   Vitamins     Vit A equivalent - μg - % Beta-carotene - μg - % Lutein and Zexanthin - μg - % Vitamin A 9.0 IU - % Thiamine or vit B1 0.79 μg 69% Riboflavin or vitamin B2 0.25 μg 21% Niacin or vit PP or B3 4.52 mg 30 % Pantothenic acid or vit B5 - mg - % Pyridoxine or vit B6 0.76 mg 61% Folate 97.0 μg 24 % Choline - mg - % Ascorbic acid or vit C 0.0 mg 0 % Calciferol or vit D - μg - % Alpha-tocopherol or vitamin E. 0.25 mg 2 % Vit K - μg - % Minerals     Football 975.0 mg 98 % Iron 14.6 mg 112 % Magnesium 351.0 mg 99 % Manganese - mg - % Phosphorus 629.0 mg 90 % Potassium 468.0 mg 10 % Sodium 11.0 mg 1 % Zinc 7.8 mg 82 % Fluoride - μg - % Selenium - μg - % , which satisfy the palate and are good for health!

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Tahina - Homemade Sesame Sauce

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(bread, crackers etc), diet and meal replacement bars, muesli, vegetables and even some desserts.

Not well known in the northern regions, sesame seeds represent a particularly versatile ingredient, especially important in Japanese and Indonesian cuisine; toasted and mixed with sea salt (10-20 parts of sesame for one of salt) they give rise to gomasio, a valid and certainly healthier alternative to table salt.

To learn more: Discover all the properties of gomasio and the recipe to make it at home

Sesame oil is a seasoning fat that is suitable for "raw" use; it cannot stand cooking, which jeopardizes its lipid integrity, and has a very bad storage capacity (it oxidizes and goes rancid easily).

Due to its organoleptic and gustatory characteristics, sesame flour is an ingredient that is used in bread-making or in the composition of ethnic recipes (sauces, pastas, etc.); it does not contain gluten and is therefore used in very low percentages, less than 10%

Pharmaceutical use of sesame oil

In addition to the traditional food use, sesame oil is also used in the pharmaceutical sector as a vehicle for fat-soluble medicaments for parenteral use (such as some injectable hormones) and as a mild laxative; for this purpose, first quality cold-pressed sesame oil is used. There are also uses in cosmetics, for soaps and shampoos.

Cosmetic use

Read the in-depth article: sesame oil in cosmetics

and has opposite lanceolate leaves, 1 to 14 cm long and 5 cm broad. The flowers are yellow, white, blue or purple.

The sesame fruit is a dehiscent capsule (ie it releases the fruit at full maturity, hence the famous phrase: "Open sesame").

Each fruit contains numerous and very small seeds (it takes about 500 to put together a gram), of a more or less dark color in relation to the variety.

The sesame genus differs in many botanical species, most of which are wild and native to sub-Saharan Africa. indicum (the most widely cultivated domestic one), is native to India and tolerates drought brilliantly; it has the characteristic of being able to grow where all other traditional crops fail.

Considering all the varieties known today, sesame is distributed in the territory from the Middle to the Far East, passing through Africa and India.

Riccardo Borgacci

Graduated in Exercise Science and Dietetics, he practices as a freelance outpatient activity as a dietician and personal trainer