HPLC Analysis of Seed Sesamin and Sesamolin Variation in a Sesame Germplasm Collection in China

Sesame lignans, including mainly sesamin and sesamolin, has been reported to have multiple functions beneficial to health. This study analyzed sesamin and sesamolin contents by HPLC in 215 sesame lines from a core collection in China. The results showed the core sesame germplasm in China has a broad variation from 2.49 to 18.01 mg/g with average 8.54 mg/g in total of sesamin and sesamolin. On average, sesamin contents in the lines with a white seed coat color were significantly higher than in those samples with brown, yellow and black colors ( P < 0.01). The lines with a black seed coat had the highest coefficient of variation followed by those with brown, yellow and white seed coats. The correlation coefficient between sesamin and sesamolin in the sesames with different seed coat colors ranked as white ( R = 0.23) < yellow ( R = 0.44) < brown ( R = 0.72) < black ( R = 0.77). The results of this study provide valuable background information on sesame germplasm in China and identified potential genotypes for breeding high sesamin or sesamolin cultivars.