MANUAL TEST FOR QUALITY WHEN BUYING SESAME SEEDS 4

4)      OIL CONTENT (52% Minimum):

This is the most important quality parameter but there is no manual means of assessing it. It will be assessed in a special lab (Bureau VERITAS) in Lagos. Oil content (whether high or low) depends largely on the quality of the seeds sown by the farmer and application of inorganic fertilizer. The ranking of seeds based on parameters (1) – (3) only helps to preserve the oil content.

CHECK LIST OF QUALITY PARAMETERS TO BE CHECKED MANUALLY BEFORE PURCHASE

S/N	QUESTION TO ANSWERED	WHAT THE ANSWER SHOULD CONFIRM
1	Are the seeds dry?	Yes. The seeds are dry.
2	Do the seeds appear good?	Yes. No broken seeds; No holes in the seeds; and No fungal or green/any foreign colour on the seeds.
3	Is the odour/smell/aroma that which typical or specific to sesame seeds?	Yes. No foreign odour at all.
4	Are there other materials mixed with the seeds in the bag?	No. Dirt, stones or any other particles are not mixed with the seeds.
5	Are the seeds and the bag free of insects?	Yes. There are no insects in the seeds or the bag.

N.B.: Contrary answer to any of the above should put the buyer on enquiry as to whether the seeds will meet the quality specifications or even go bad during transit/shipment.

IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE TESTED BEFORE WE START PURCHASING

Where the seeds are assessed to fall below the minimum required quality standards above, the commodity cannot be exported and, if exported, they can be rejected by the importer and therefore result in loss of money. God forbid that we have that experience!

This is why it is important that we do a careful sampling of the seeds from the markets where we intend to buy and have the samples tested before we commence buying. It is only hoped that the samples will really be representative and reflective of the ultimate seeds purchased.