Proteins of Sesame Seed, Sesamum Indicum

The annual world production of sesame seed is approximately 700,000 tons.This seed contains about 50 per cent of oil.The press cake remaining after expression of the oil contains about 40 per cent of protein (N X 6.25), and practically the entire output is used for cattle feed.China and India are the largest producers of sesame seed.Although but little, if any, is grown in the United States, importation of both the seed and the oil has increased during recent years.The only information heretofore available regarding the proteins of sesame seed is that published by Ritthausen (1) in 1880.He obtained several preparations of protein by extracting the ground press cake with dilute alkali, and with sodium chloride solutions of different concentrations and at different temperatures.The protein obtained from a 10 per cent sodium chloride extract of the sesame meal was redissolved in warm 20 per cent sodium chloride solution.On cooling there separated a small amount of protein in the form of octahedra mixed with a relatively large amount of amorphous material.The only analytical data published with respect to these preparations are figures showing their elementary composition.By extracting the oil-free meal with 10 per cent sodium chloride solution we have isolated two globulins differing in precipitability with ammonium sulfate, in solubility, elementary composition, and distribution of nitrogen.The a-globulin was obtained as crystals in the form of tetragonal bipyramids (Fig. 1).All preparations of the p-globulin, on the other hand, consisted of amorphous, white powders.It was found that the meal contained approximately 4 times as much a-globulin as p-globulin.