Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.): A Review of Nutritional Value, Phytochemical Composition and Breeding Aspects for Improvement

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), is one of the earliest known oil crops, is a highly adaptable plant that offers substantial nutritional value awarding the place of Queen among group of oilseed crops. Beyond oil extraction, sesame seeds are often utilized into sesame paste, sesame milk, and other culinary products. At present, the ongoing research on sesame is leading to the discovery of more bioactive compounds, which are being applied to effectively advance the sesame processing industry. Modern studies have isolated and identified over 180 phytochemical components from sesame seeds, seed oils, and various plant parts, including lignans, polyphenols, phytosterols, phenols, anthraquinones, cerebrosides, fatty acids, vitamins, proteins, essential amino acids, and sugars. The significant interest among people in tapping into the economic and nutritional potentials of this high-value crop, oil seed breeders focusing on formulating breeding strategies for overall improvement of sesame crop to be used as super food. The research endeavors including exploration of nutri-genetical potentials of available germplasm through morphological, biochemical characterization assisted by modern molecular techniques and their subsequent utilization for trait specific improvement of crop. The Modern tools viz., MAS, Genome Editing, GAB, Haploids, Speed breeding, AI may apply with conventional approaches viz., mutation, hybridization, selection (pureline and mass) which will definitely facilitate the effective selection of elite genotypes and lines that possess novel traits. In this review, the nutritional, phytochemical aspects have been highlighted along with breeding strategies for improvement has been discussed in light of reports on sesame crop.