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Sesame seed, or sesamum, one of the nine major cultivated oilseeds in our country, has been known for its culinary and medicinal properties for centuries. It has religious significance too. Because the seed is rich in fat, protein, carbohydrate, fibre and some minerals and has a mild and delicious aroma and taste, it lends itself as an ingredient in foods. It is also used extensively in traditional or ayurvedic medicines preparation.
At about 6-7 lakh tonnes a year, India is the world's largest sesamum producer and consumer. White, brown and black sesame seeds are produced. White sesamum is of course the most preferred as an ingredient in foods and can be sourced from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Brown often goes for oil crushing. Sesame seed is processed in a variety of ways and is made suitable for a wide range of end-uses in food preparation. Apart from extracting oil from this premium oilseed (oil content nearly 50 per cent), this commodity can be processed in many ways to produce hulled sesame seed, hulled and roasted sesame seed, sesame butter and so on. It can be incorporated in food in whole, broken, crushed, shelled, powdered or paste form.
Oil
The production line covers the cleaning machine, huller, colour sorter and oil press machine (for oil extraction). Sesame oil is nutritious (contains vitamin E among others) and has a long shelf life. No wonder, the Japanese enjoy cooking tempura in sesame oil. Use of sesamum in the food industry has been rising worldwide because of its versatility. Virgin and extra-virgin sesame oil (often produced with no chemicals) commands a price premium and is popular in advanced economies with high purchasing power and refined tastes.
One of the important uses of white sesamum is as a topping on buns.
Dehulled sesamum is generally used to incorporate texture, taste and even aesthetic value to a variety of bakery products such as bread, bread sticks, cookies, bars and so on. It is also an additive in cereal mixes and crackers. Halaw a (a sweet confectionary) and tahini (sesame butter) are two popular foods especially in the West Asia region.
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