Popular Products of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Consumed in India and their Quality Concern

Abstract

Sesame is the most consumed oilseed available in different varieties in India. It is eaten as a whole seed, ground, roasted, powdered, oil, or defatted meal in preparation for traditional and popular ready-to-eat sweet and savory food items. It is used in household recipes, bakery items like biscuits, buns, bagel bread, weaning foods etc. Sesame seeds and its products are rich sources of energy, protein, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, antioxidants and essential fatty acids. The food products of sesame are available easily in rural and urban markets with a range of variety and forms. They are easily accessible and affordable for every income group. Consumers should be aware of the quality concerns of these products, which are generally sold in open packaging, causing health problems. They are sometimes not prepared hygienically, leading to microbial contamination of food products and causing ill effects. So this review is about the nutritional value of different ready-to-eat homestead and commercial sesame products available in the market and the quality concern, i.e., nutritional and microbiological, regarding these products. Besides the quality attributes, their manufacturing under safe, hygienic conditions, packaging, and storage should be ensured to avoid health hazards. The products in which sesame is present in large quantities or one of the main ingredients are energy dense and rich in protein, fats, fiber, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and manganese. Many sesame-based sweet products produced in unorganized sectors by small manufacturers were found to need improvement regarding microbial quality compared to the products with good preparation and packaging methods.

Chemical characteristics and nutritive quality of novel functional potato chips-like products

“…Finally, the ω-6/ω-3 ratios were the best in S2 (0.93%) followed by S4 (11.49%), in contrast to S1 and S3 which had unfavourable ratios, 117.94% and 36.97%, respectively. As reported in the literature, sesame seed meal may be incurporated into other foods because its oil has a high amount of unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid, acid, palmitoleic acid, and traces of linolenic acid (Nagar et al, 2022). Also, Yuksel, Karaman and Kayacier (2014) observed that flaxseed flour had a high amount of total unsaturated fatty acids (ω-3) that can be used in wheat chips as a functional omega-3 ingredient.…”

“…They can also be combined with other ingredients to make value-added products that can prevent malnutrition and improve nutritional status at a lesser cost. Sesame seeds are incorporated in several foods as snacks and sweets, for example, sprinklers, which are made with whole or coarsely ground flour (Nagar, Agrawal & Agrawal, 2022). Due to their unique bioactive component, including sesamin, sesaminol, and γ-tocopherols, which have antioxidant properties, antihypertensive effects, and the ability to increase plasma tocopherol and stimulate the activity of vitamin E, which helps in the prevention of cancerous and cardiac diseases.…”

Effect of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) consumption on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…Sesame ( Sesamum indicum L . ), belonging to the Pedaliaceae family, is widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine as cooking oil and seasoning ingredients (Nagar & Agrawal, 2022). Sesame seeds are rich sources of vitamin E, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), fiber, phytosterol, and bioactive lignans including sesamin, sesamolin, sesamol, and episesamin (Andargie et al, 2021; Nagar & Agrawal, 2022).…”

“…Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), belonging to the Pedaliaceae family, is widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine as cooking oil and seasoning ingredients (Nagar & Agrawal, 2022). Sesame seeds are rich sources of vitamin E, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), fiber, phytosterol, and bioactive lignans including sesamin, sesamolin, sesamol, and episesamin (Andargie et al, 2021;Nagar & Agrawal, 2022). Research has shown that sesame seeds can have beneficial effects in lowering blood pressure (Khosravi-Boroujeni et al, 2017), improving lipid profile (Khalesi et al, 2016), reducing inflammatory factors (Rafiee et al, 2021), and increasing the antioxidant capacity (Raeisi-Dehkordi et al, 2020) of the body.…”