Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Product Profile: Sesame Seeds



Description: Sesame seeds (or sesamum or benniseed) are the seeds of the tropical annual Sesamum indicum. The species has a long history of cultivation, mostly for its yield of oil. The original area of domestication of sesame is obscure but it seems likely to have first been brought into cultivation in Asia or India.
The plant is usually 60 to 120cm tall and the fruit is a dehiscent capsule held close to the stem. When ripe, the capsule shatters to release a number of small seeds. The seeds are protected by a fibrous ‘hull’ or skin, which may be whitish to brown or black depending on the variety. 1000 seeds weigh some 4-8g. The seeds have a high oil content of 44-60%.

Harvest: Harvesting begins in late December and continues through July. Each producing area stated in the next section below (Locations) has only one season.

Locations: The major producing areas in order of priority are Nasarawa, Jigawa and Benue States. Other important areas of production are found in Yobe, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Gombe and Plateau States. The major marketing centers (towns and states) of sesame seeds in Nigeria.
                               
Town
State
Doma
Nasarawa
Malam-Madori
Jigawa
Potiskum
Yobe
Oturkpo
Benue
Dawanau
Kano

Types/Varieties: There are 3 types of sesame (and these include: White, Black and Brown/Mixed sesame seeds). However only two of these are majorly produced in Nigeria and these includes;
1. White/raw = Food-grade used in bakery industry. 98-100% whitest grade seeds.
2. Brown/mixed = primarily oil-grade.
The White (Food Grade) seed is grown around the towns of Keffi, Lafia/Makurdi, Doma, and in Nassarawa, Taraba, and Benue States. It is easier to sort and the Fumani/Denin people consume sesame locally. The Brown/mixed grows in the North, in Kano State and in Jigawa State near Hadejia, and somewhat in the southern part of Katsina State.

Specifications
Features
% percentage
Oil content
45-60% min
Impurities
0-2%max
Free fatty acid (FFA)
1-2%max
Moisture content
6-9% max

Export market: The major importer of sesame seeds in the world is Japan while the major consuming markets in the EU are Greece, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. In the past, the bulk of sesame was imported from China. Increasingly, other sources such as India, Sudan and, most recently, Pakistan, are taking the market share. The USA is the fifth largest import market with a steady demand for over 50,000 tonnes per year.

Export Price: The export free on board price of sesame seed varies from USD 900 -1400/MT depending on the type and form of the sesame seed and the negotiation made with the buyers.

Local price: local price per metric tonne MT of sesame seed varies from NGN120,000.00 during the peak season to about NGN140,000.00 at the off season. However local price when delivered EXW Lagos (delivered in Lagos) could range from NGN150,000 – 200,000.00/MT depending on the period during the season.

Uses: Most sesame is processed directly into oil by the grower or within the producing region, but can also be sold in various stages of processing, for various uses, such as meal, paste, confections, and bakery products.

Input
Products
Description and Uses
Seeds
Confectionery
Fried seeds may be bound together with sugar syrup to give sweetmeats.
Seeds
Biscuits
The whole seeds can be baked into biscuits.
(Hulled) seeds
Bakery
Popular in northern Europe either incorporated into breads or as decorative toppings. May be used hulled or whole.
Seeds, sometimes roasted
Oil
Particularly used in oriental cuisine. The flavor is quite strong and rarely compatible with traditional Western style cooking but also used as a salad oil.
Oil
Medicinal treatment
Ulcers and burns
Oil
Margarine
Once an important use, now other cheaper vegetable oils are available
Oil
Aerosol
Reported use as a synergist for pyrethrum sprays
Low grade oil
Various
Soaps paints, lubricants, and illuminants. Local uses, of no importance in international trade
Hulled seeds
Tahini
A paste of sesame seeds which is used as an ingredient in eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods
Tahini
Dips &spreads
Various ingredients, such as chickpeas or eggplants, are added to Tahini to make dips and spreads such as hummus
Tahini
Halva
A sweet made from Tahini and sugar with other added flavorings
Cake
Animal feed
Protein rich useful supplement
Cake from hulled seeds
Ingredient
Used in some Indian cooking. Also as a snack in, for example, the Nigerian Kulikuli

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