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Sesame

Sweet & rich· nut

Sesame

What it is

Sesame is the seed of Sesamum indicum, one of the oldest cultivated oilseed plants.

What it tastes like

On the nose: sulfurous; the house adds toasted, nutty, rich ✳. Among its measured molecules: 2,4-dimethylthiazole, 2-[(methyldithio)methyl]furan, 2-acetylthiazole, 2,6-Diethylpyrazine, 2-methylpyrazine.

What goes with it

141 more go with it. See them all in the full library →

Salt and acid

Salt

0 mgAsian pear10 mgCinnamon100 mgFennel seed1,000 mgOlive10,000 mgFish sauce

Sodium 11 mg per 100 g — USDA FoodData Central 170150.

Acid

Acid not measured yet.

Unusual pairings

Pairs the library can cite that almost nobody makes.

15 of 122 compounds on file carry a paper the library can cite.

  • 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenolaromaphenolMeasured in 7 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV up to 115 (210 °C / 20 min); the only phenol in that study with a non-zero OAV at the 10-minute roasts, where every other phenol reads zero — Zheng et al. 2026, Foods (Table A2, row '2-Methoxy-4-vinylphenol')
  • guaiacolaromaphenolreads as aromatic odor (PubChem)Measured in 15 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV up to 2,489 (180 °C / 20 min) and above 700 at every roasting condition of 20 min or longer — the highest OAV in that study's 18 roasting conditions — Zheng et al. 2026, Foods (Table A2 (Odor thresholds and OAVs of the compounds in sesame oil samples), row '2-Methoxy-phenol')
  • methanethiolaromasulfur compoundMeasured in 10 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 10,333-26,333 in four of the five traditional sesame oils and 7,166 in the roasted reference oil; not detected in the fifth traditional oil or in the cold-pressed oil — Chen et al. 2022, Foods (Table 1, row 'Methanethiol')
  • furfuryl alcoholaromaalcoholreads as bitter (PubChem)Measured in 16 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 1,086-1,560 in all five traditional sesame oils; not detected in the roasted or cold-pressed reference oils — Chen et al. 2022, Foods (Table 1, row '2-Furanmethanol')
  • 2-methylpyrazinearomapyrazineMeasured in 5 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 0 below 180 °C, rising to 381 at 210 °C / 30 min — Zheng et al. 2026, Foods (Table A2, row 'Methyl-pyrazine')
  • 2,4-dimethylthiazolearomanitrogen compoundMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV up to 505 (160 °C / 20 min) — the second-highest OAV in that study — running 251-505 across the six 20-minute roasts and 91-440 across the six 30-minute roasts, and zero at every 10-minute roast — Zheng et al. 2026, Foods (Table A2, row '2,4-Dimethyl-thiazole')
  • dimethyl disulfidearomasulfur compoundreads as sulfurous (PubChem)Measured in 9 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 32-208 across four of the five traditional sesame oils — Chen et al. 2022, Foods (Table 1, row 'Dimethyl disulfide')
  • dimethyl trisulfidearomasulfur compoundMeasured in 12 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 712 in the XMXY1 sesame oil against a threshold of 0.0025 mg/kg — Chen et al. 2022, Foods (Table 1, row 'Dimethyl trisulfide')
  • 2-amylfuranaromafuranMeasured in 23 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV up to 271 (180 °C / 30 min) against a threshold of 0.006 mg/kg, and zero at every 10- and 20-minute roast — Zheng et al. 2026, Foods (Table A2, row '2-Pentyl-furan')
  • 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazinearomapyrazineMeasured in 6 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 365-815 across the traditional and roasted sesame oils against a threshold of 0.024 mg/kg — Chen et al. 2022, Foods (Table 1, row '3-Ethyl-2,5-dimethyl-pyrazine')
  • 2-ethyl-6-methylpyrazinearomapyrazineMeasured in 5 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV up to 367 (180 °C / 30 min) against a threshold of 0.04 mg/kg, and zero at every 10-minute roast below 210 °C — Zheng et al. 2026, Foods (Table A2, row '2-Ethyl-6-methyl-pyrazine')
  • 2-[(methyldithio)methyl]furanaromaMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 19,500-31,250 across three of the five traditional sesame oils against an odour threshold of 0.00004 mg/kg — the highest odour activity value in either cited study — Chen et al. 2022, Foods (Table 1 (Odor thresholds and OAVs of the compounds in XMXY1-5, RSO, and CSO samples), row '2-[(methyldithio)methyl]-Furan')
  • 4-ethylguaiacolaromaphenolMeasured in 11 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 47-261 in three of the five traditional sesame oils — Chen et al. 2022, Foods (Table 1, row '4-Ethyl-2-methoxy-phenol')
  • 2,6-DiethylpyrazinearomapyrazineMeasured in 2 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 5-374 — the only pyrazine with a non-zero OAV at every one of the 18 roasting conditions, including the lightest — Zheng et al. 2026, Foods (Table A2, row '2,6-Diethyl-pyrazine')
  • 2-acetylthiazolearomaketoneMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
    OAV 168-216 in two of the five traditional sesame oils against a threshold of 0.01 mg/kg — Chen et al. 2022, Foods (Table 1, row '2-Acetylthiazole')

On file, no cited source yet ✳

These molecules are on record for it from the library's earlier sources. We are buying and requesting the papers; each one that lands moves its molecule up into the cited list.

  • (+)-Sesamolinol
  • 5-[[(3R,3aS,6S,6aS)-3-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-1,3,3a,4,6,6a-hexahydrofuro[3,4-c]furan-6-yl]oxy]-1,3-benzodioxole
  • 4-[(1S,3abeta,6abeta)-4alpha-(6-Hydroxy-1,3-benzodioxole-5-yl)-tetrahydro-1H,3H-furo[3,4-c]furan-1beta-yl]catechol
  • Sesaminol diglucoside
  • 2-(4-Methyl-1,3-pentadienyl)anthraquinoneketone
  • (+)-Saminol
  • (+)-Episesaminone9-beta-D-sophoroside
  • Episesamin
  • Cistanoside Facid
  • cycloeucalenolalcohol
  • sesamolin
  • (R)-Campneoside IIacid
  • epi-Sesaminone
  • 2-[(Z)-4-Methylpenta-1,3-dienyl]-9,10-anthraquinone
  • 4-[(1S,3aR,4S,6aR)-4-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)tetrahydrofuro[3,4-c]furan-1-yl]-2-methoxyphenolphenolreads as fresh pungent odor (PubChem)
  • 5-ethenyl-2-methoxyphenolacid
  • (+)-Episesaminone
  • enterolactone
  • Hydroxymatairesinol
  • (3aR,4S,6aR)-4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)tetrahydro-1H,3H-furo[3,4-c]furan-1-onephenol
  • myristic acidacid
  • 3-methoxyacetophenone
  • enterodiol
  • Verbasosidesugar
  • matairesinolphenol
  • 5-[3-(1,3-Benzodioxol-5-yl)-1,3,3a,4,6,6a-hexahydrofuro[3,4-c]furan-6-yl]-6-methoxy-1,3-benzodioxole
  • avenasterolterpenoid
  • Sesamolinol 4'-O-b-D-glucosyl (1→6)-O-b-D-glucosidesugar
  • Justiciresinol
  • palmitic acidacidreads as slight characteristic taste (PubChem)
  • Hydroxysesamoneketone
  • stearic acidacidreads as taste suggesting tallow (PubChem)
  • Episesaminol
  • 4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-tetrahydro-3H-furo[3,4-c]furan-1-one
  • alpha-tocopherolterpenoidreads as little or no taste (PubChem)
  • 2-Chloro-5,8-dihydroxy-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1,4-naphthalenedione, 9CI
  • 7,7,12,16-Tetramethyl-15-(6-methyl-5-methylideneheptan-2-yl)pentacyclo[9.7.0.01,3.03,8.012,16]octadec-8-en-6-olterpenoid
  • Xyl(b1-2)[Glc(b1-3)]Glc(b)-O-EtPh
  • (2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[(2R,3R,4S,5R,6R)-2-[(Z)-hex-3-enoxy]-5-hydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)-3-[(2S,3R,4S,5R)-3,4,5-trihydroxyoxan-2-yl]oxyoxan-4-yl]oxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol
  • (2R,3R,4R)-4-[(R)-hydroxy-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methyl]-3-[(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methyl]oxolan-2-ol
  • 2,3-Dihydroxy-6-(5-hydroxy-4-methylpent-3-enyl)anthracene-9,10-dione
  • [(2R,3R,4R,5R,6R)-6-[(2S)-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-methoxyethoxy]-5-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4-[(2S,3R,4R,5R,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxyoxan-3-yl] (E)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoateacid
  • [4-[2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)-2-methoxyethoxy]-3-hydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(3,4,5,6-tetrahydroxyoxan-2-yl)oxycyclohexyl] 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoateacid
  • Rha(a1-3)[coumaroyl(3-OH)(-6)]b-Glcacid
  • campesterolalcohol
  • Kobusin
  • Anthrasesamone A
  • Anthrasesamone B
  • (1aS,7aR)-3,6-dihydroxy-1a-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-7aH-naphtho[2,3-b]oxirene-2,7-dione
  • Rha(a1-3)[coumaroyl(3-OH)(-4)]b-Glcacid
  • beta-sitosterolalcohol
  • pinoresinol
  • 2-(4-Methylpent-3-en-1-yl)anthracene-9,10-dioneketone
  • lariciresinolalcohol
  • planteosesugar
  • 2-(3,7-Dimethylocta-2,6-dienyl)naphthalene-1,4-dioneterpenoid
  • [(2R,3R,4S,5R,6R)-6-[(2R)-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-hydroxyethoxy]-3,5-dihydroxy-4-[(2S,3R,4R,5R,6S)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxyoxan-2-yl]methyl (E)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoateacid
  • 5-dehydro-avenasterolterpenoid
  • Sesamolinolphenol
  • arachidonic acidacid
  • palmitoleic acidacid
  • oleic acidacidreads as peculiar lard-like odor (PubChem)
  • ferulic acidacid
  • (2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[4-[(3S,3aR,6S,6aR)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,3,3a,4,6,6a-hexahydrofuro[3,4-c]furan-6-yl]-2-methoxyphenoxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triolsugar
  • linoleic acidacid
  • stigmasterolalcohol
  • 2-demethylmenaquinoneterpenoid
  • gamolenic acidacid
  • alpha-linolenic acidacid
  • isofucosterolalcohol
  • verbascosidephenol
  • gadoleic acidacid
  • elaidolinolenic acidacid
  • 24-methylidenelophenolalcohol
  • Pedaliinsugar
  • 2-methoxy-5-(prop-1-en-1-yl)phenolacid
  • cholesterolalcohol
  • Xyl(b1-2)[Glc(b1-3)]Glc(b)-O-Bn
  • Anthrasesamone C
  • acuminatinfuran
  • isoacteosideacid
  • 2,3-butanedioneketonereads as strong odor (PubChem)
  • Obtusifoliolterpenoid
  • secoisolariciresinol
  • Covi-oxterpenoid
  • Disaminyl ether
  • 3,4-methylenedioxyphenol
  • beta-Tocopherolterpenoid
  • 4-[(3R,3aS,6R,6aS)-3-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-1,3,3a,4,6,6a-hexahydrofuro[3,4-c]furan-6-yl]-2-methoxyphenol
  • 1,2-Dihydroxy-3-(4-methylpent-3-en-1-yl)anthracene-9,10-dione
  • 1,2,4-Trihydroxy-3-(4-methylpent-3-en-1-yl)anthracene-9,10-dione
  • (+)-sesamin
  • β-amyrinalcohol
  • α-amyrinalcohol
  • (+)-pinoresinolphenol
  • glyoxalaldehydereads as mild odor (PubChem)
  • behenic acidacid
  • 2-(4-Methyl-1,3-pentadien-1-yl)-9,10-anthracenedione
  • 17-(5-ethyl-6-methylheptan-2-yl)-10,13-dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-dodecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-olterpenoid
  • methylglyoxalaldehydereads as pungent (PubChem)
  • δ-tocopherolterpenoid
  • cycloartenolalcohol
  • γ-tocopherolterpenoid
  • 24-Methylenecycloartanolalcohol
  • Sesaminol
  • α1-sitosterolalcohol
  • 2alpha,3alpha,23-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acidacid

Sources

  • Zheng et al. 2026, Foods
  • Chen et al. 2022, Foods
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