• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.128-131
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• 2005

Sesame seed is known as a good nutritional source containing high oil (51%) and protein (20%). Sesame oil contains a very high oxidative stability compared to other vegetable oils. To obtain basic information for quality evaluation, imported and domestic sesame seeds were investigated to measure general components (ash, protein, moisture and oil), fatty acid composition and lignan content. Although the protein contents were the highest in domestic sesame seeds, yet the lipid contents were the highest in imported sesame seeds. Unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid and linoleic acids were the highest in the domestic sesame seeds. Lignan contents, the most important component known as antioxidant, were significantly higher in domestic sesame seeds than other imported sesame seeds. These results suggest that domestic sesame seed may have the best quality in terms of the functional components.