Grading and nutrition
Sesame seeds are graded on oil content, moisture and sorting, and their nutrition is measured per 100 grams. This page answers both halves of the question in one place: the grading check in order, and the nutrient figures behind it.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Energy | 2,400 kJ (570 kcal) |
| Carbohydrate | 23.4 g |
| Fat | 49 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Thiamine (B1) | 66% |
| Minimum oil content | 40% |
| Storage moisture | 6% |
| Top-three producers | 33% |
Grading turns on three checks: oil content at or above 40%, moisture at or below 6%, and sorting by size and colour.
Quality grading of sesame is a pass/fail on numbers before it is anything else. The oil content of the lot must reach at least 40%; a sample below that floor does not qualify as graded seed regardless of how clean it looks.
Moisture is the second gate. Harvested seeds need to be stored at 6% moisture or less, and a lot that has taken on moisture fails the storage condition even if its oil content still measures fine.
The third check is physical: sorting by size and colour. Uniform seed size and consistent colour are what separate a graded lot from an unsorted one, and this is the step most often skipped in a hurry.
Steps run in the order shown; each one gates the next.
Whole sesame seeds provide 2,400 kJ (570 kcal) per 100 grams, from 23.4 g carbohydrate, 49 g fat and 17 g protein.
Fat dominates the profile at 49 g per 100 grams, which is consistent with sesame having one of the highest oil contents of any seed. Protein contributes 17 g and carbohydrate 23.4 g in the same 100-gram reference.
On the vitamin side, thiamine (vitamin B1) covers 66% of the Daily Value per 100 grams — a high figure for a single seed ingredient.
The full per-100-gram breakdown, with units, is set out on the Sesame per 100 Grams page.
Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of any seed, and that content rises with a longer photoperiod.
The oil figure is not fixed at harvest: it rises with a longer photoperiod, so growing conditions feed directly into whether a lot clears the 40% floor.
This is why oil content is measured rather than assumed. Two lots from the same origin can land on either side of the threshold depending on day length during seed fill.
For a buyer or a grader, the practical consequence is that the oil test is the first test, not a formality after sorting.
| Measure | Value | Unit or basis |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 2,400 kJ (570 kcal) | per 100 g |
| Carbohydrate | 23.4 g | per 100 g |
| Fat | 49 g | per 100 g |
| Protein | 17 g | per 100 g |
| Thiamine (B1) | 66% | of Daily Value per 100 g |
| Minimum oil content | 40% | grading floor |
| Storage moisture | 6% | maximum, by weight |
| Top-three producers | 33% | of world production |
Figures on this page are quoted with their unit and basis; see the internal pages for full context.