Determination and Daily Intake Estimation of Lignans in Sesame Seeds and Sesame Oil Products in Korea

Abstract

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is a plant that belongs to the Pedaliaceae family which was first classified as a food source around 4000 years ago. Lignans (sesamin, sesamolin, sesamol, and sesaminol) present in sesame are the primary functional compounds that impart important health benefits. However, very little information is available on the lignan intake from sesame seeds and sesame oil products. Sesame oil is frequently and highly consumed in Korea and therefore is one of the important lignan intake sources due to the food eating habits of Koreans. Herein, we studied the distribution of lignans in sesame seeds (n = 21) and oil (n = 34) to estimate the daily lignan intake by the Korean population. High-performance liquid chromatography, in conjunction with statistical analysis, was used to determine the lignan content of seeds and oil. The estimated daily intake of total lignans from sesame seeds and oil, as estimated from the available domestic consumption data (Korea Nutrition and Health Examination Survey), is 18.39 mg/person/day for males and 13.26 mg/person/day for females. The contributions of lignan intake from sesame seeds and oil are 23.0% and 77.0%, respectively. This study provides preliminary information on lignan intake from sesame seeds and oil in the Korean population.

Lignans of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.): A Comprehensive Review

“…The solubility of lignans in pure n-hexane is limited, as shown by [ 142 ], who reported precipitation of sesamin and episesalatin from n-hexane. Therefore, refluxing in Soxhlet apparatus [ 55 , 142 , 180 , 182 ] or repeated extractions with n-hexane [ 56 , 183 ] were typically used. n-hexane is certainly not an ideal solvent for lignans.…”

Fine Mapping of a Major Pleiotropic QTL Associated with Sesamin and Sesamolin Variation in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

“…Its seeds are rich in oil, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and a class of lignans highly sought after by humans because of their various biological properties [ 2 , 3 ]. In some places, the daily intake of lignans by males and females from sesame seeds and oil was estimated at 18.39 and 13.26 mg/person, respectively [ 4 ]. Lignans are chemically classified as monolignol dimers [ 5 ].…”

Effects of Sesamin, the Major Furofuran Lignan of Sesame Oil, on the Amplitude and Gating of Voltage-Gated Na+ and K+ Currents

“…Sesame seeds and sesame oil have been widely recognized as health foods in Asian countries [ 1 , 2 ]. In comparison with other edible oils extracted from diverse seeds, sesame oil is extremely stable, possibly due to the effective antioxidant activities presumably attributed to its abundance of lipid-soluble furofuran lignans, such as sesamin (SSM) and sesamolin (SesA) [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Emerging research has previously demonstrated that SSM and SesA, the two major furofuran lignans of sesame oil, are able to suppress lipid peroxidation in erythrocytes [ 8 ], to inhibit the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase activity [ 9 ], to prevent chemically induced mammary cancer, to inhibit D 5 -desaturase and the chain elongation of C18 fatty acids [ 10 ], and to protect hypoxic neuronal and PC12 cells by suppressing ROS generation and MAPK activation [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], as well as to exhibit antihypertensive or cardioprotective effects [ 1 , 3 , 14 ].…”