Natural sesame seeds from India still have their outer husk. Hulled sesame seeds from India have had the husk removed, which makes them white and ready for bakery, tahini and confectionery use. The choice between them depends on your product, and it also changes which suppliers you should approach.
India grows sesame in several states, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Colour, purity and flavour differ between regions and crop seasons.
Natural sesame: the starting material
Natural sesame is cleaned, usually by machine and by optical sorting, then graded by purity and colour. Buyers use it whole on bread and snacks, and processors use it as the raw material for hulled seed and for oil. Types include white, golden and black. The sesame seed types India exports explains how they differ.
Sesame is an oilseed, so it goes rancid if stored warm and damp. Ask how long the lot has been stored and when it was cleaned. Fresh-crop seed is easier to keep within the free fatty acid limit than seed held over from the previous year.
Typical specification points are purity, oil content, moisture, free fatty acid and foreign matter. What purity and oil content to ask for gives guidance.
Hulled sesame: processing makes the product
Hulled sesame is made by soaking the natural seed, removing the hull by machine, drying it and sorting it for colour. How the seed is hulled and dried matters. Machine-hulled seed and auto-dried hulled seed can look alike but differ in cleanliness and shelf life; see machine-hulled versus auto-dried hulled sesame.
Check the colour and the remaining hull. Good hulled seed is uniformly creamy white, with few dark or unhulled seeds, and it is sorted by colour machine. Bakers and tahini makers notice a grey cast quickly, so approve colour against a sealed sample.
Because hulled sesame involves wet processing, the plant must control water, drying and hygiene. That is where salmonella risk appears, and why a plant visit is worth more for hulled seed than for natural.
Where each is produced and who to ask
Natural sesame is gathered from farms and markets and cleaned in processing units close to the growing areas. Hulling is done by specialised plants. Many exporters buy hulled seed from such plants rather than make it themselves, so ask each supplier directly whether the hulling happens in its own factory.
If you are comparing suppliers across districts, read the sesame harvest season in Gujarat to see when fresh crop is available.
Tests and compliance
Limits and checks change from time to time, so ask your regulator or customs broker for the current position. The usual tests are these.
- Salmonella and total plate count, as sesame is a known concern for food-safety authorities.
- Pesticide residues against the limits in the country you sell into.
- Ethylene oxide, where relevant. Sesame from India was subject to extra EU checks in the past; confirm the current rules with your customs broker before you buy.
- Colour and purity, checked on the sample and on arrival.
Next step
We find processors, audit the plants, test lots and supervise loading. We do not publish prices, as they depend on grade, crop and quantity. To get an offer matched to your use, book a free sourcing review.