Abstract
It has been found that lignans are included as functional compounds, especially in sesame. Consumers buying various sesame products are not provided with any information about the amount of sesame contained in the products. We converted the sesamin content measured in sesame products into the amount of sesame in the product. A questionnaire survey was also conducted with consumers, mainly housewives, about their reasons for purchasing sesame products and their estimate of the sesame content levels. The responses indicated that the reasons for purchasing sesame products were first for taste, and second for health. The most commonly purchased products were sesame dressing and sesame sauce. More than half of the consumers estimated the respective sesame content in sesame dressing and sesame sauce as 20% and more than 50%. The measured values for sesamin in sesame dressing and sauce were 0.16 mg/g and 0.79 mg/g. These figures translate into a sesame content of 5.2% in sesame dressing and 26.4% in sesame sauce, disagree with the values estimated by the consumers. It is necessary to establish some rules such as displaying the sesame content to help consumers properly select a product.
