A germplasm collection of Tamil Nadu comprising of nine varieties and six landraces were analyzed for their ω3 fatty acid content, lignans such as sesamin and sesamol. The percentage of ALA ranges from 0.1 to 0.55%. A wide variation was observed in sesamol content. The highest sesamol content of 0.547 mg/g was found in a variety SVPR1. The sesamin content ranged between 2.03 and 6.45 mg/g. A negative relationship was observed between total oil content and ALA. White sesame seeds had higher sesamol content whereas black varieties revealed higher sesamin content.
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is one of the traditional oil seed crop widely cultivated in many countries. The top producers of sesame seeds are mainly Tanzania, Myanmar, India, China and Japan. Sesame oil contains high level of unsaturated fatty acids (80%) and low levels of saturated fatty acids (20%). The main fatty acids are palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and trace amounts of linolenic fatty acids. Sesame seed contains 50–60% of high-quality oil rich in natural antioxidants such as sesamin, sesamolin, sesaminol and sesamol it enhances the stability and keeping quality of sesame oil. Sesame seeds have good sources of dietary fibre, fats, vitamins, minerals, proteins and rich in anti-oxidants. Polyunsaturated fatty acids in sesame will reduce the risk of high blood pressure, cardiac disorders and blood sugar levels. Sesame is believed to have been originated in India where maximum variability of genetic resources is available. High yielding varieties available to date have reached the yield plateau even with the advanced cultivation practices. The area under oilseed crops cultivation also reducing every year. Hence, there is an urgent need to increase the oil content and yield of Indian sesame varieties. Understanding the available germplasm and novel interventions to develop high yielding varieties warrant both molecular and phenotypic data which is meagre in case of sesame.
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