India exports three main sesame types: natural white sesame, which still has its seed coat; hulled white sesame, which has had the seed coat removed; and black sesame, usually sold natural. Smaller volumes of brown, red and mixed seed are also traded.
Gujarat, especially Saurashtra and Kutch, is a major sesame region, along with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Rajkot and Gondal are among the important markets.
Natural white sesame
Natural sesame is cleaned whole seed with the hull still on. It is off-white to light cream and slightly duller than hulled seed. It goes to crushing for oil, to tahini and halva makers in some markets, to bakery and to snack makers.
It is graded by purity and cleaning method. Typical trade grades are machine-cleaned and sortex-cleaned, with purity levels such as 99/1 or 99.95 for illustration. The cleaning methods are explained in machine-cleaned versus sortex-cleaned.
Hulled white sesame
Hulled sesame has had its thin seed coat removed after soaking, then has been washed, dried and usually colour sorted. It is bright white and smooth. It is the grade used on burger buns, bread, crackers and confectionery, and for tahini and sesame paste where colour matters.
Because it goes through a wet process and is often eaten without cooking, hulled sesame needs strong hygiene and drying controls. The drying method is a key quality point, covered in machine-hulled versus auto-dried hulled sesame.
Black sesame and others
Black sesame is mainly sold natural and cleaned. It is popular in East Asian food, in desserts, pastes and toppings, and in some traditional uses. Colour uniformity is a key quality point, so buyers check for brown or white seeds mixed in.
Because colour sets its value, ask the supplier to confirm in writing that the seed is naturally black and not dyed or polished. Test for added colour if anything about the lot looks wrong.
- Brown and red sesame: often go to crushing or local trade.
- Mixed sesame: lower grade, usually for oil.
- Roasted sesame: some processors roast natural or hulled seed for ready-to-use markets.
How to choose
- Decide on type, colour and hulled or natural first, based on your product.
- Set purity, moisture, free fatty acid, oil content where relevant, and foreign matter limits.
- Add Salmonella, ethylene oxide and pesticide residue requirements for your market.
- Ask for samples from the current crop and test them yourself.
- Confirm whether the seed is from the kharif or summer crop, since quality can differ.
How we help
We source natural, hulled and black sesame from audited Gujarat processors and test samples for purity, Salmonella and residues at an NABL-accredited lab. To choose the right type and supplier, ask for a free sourcing review.