Lignan Content and Antioxidant Capacity of Eight Sesame Varieties Cultivated in Korea

The objective of this study was to examine the lignan content and antioxidant activity of eight Korean sesame seed varieties. We analyzed the lignan content using two different techniques: (1) liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, and (2) high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection. We identified that in sesame seeds, the sesamolin lignan occurs at the highest concentration (ranging between 4.427 mg/g and 10.258 mg/g). Further, the lignan content was highest in the sesame variety Haniall (ranging between 5.220 mg/g and 12.684 mg/g). The Ansan sesame variety showed the greatest antioxidant activity in the relevant tests, exhibiting superior scavenging activities toward 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals, along with a higher total polyphenol concentration. In addition, we found that the total polyphenol content of sesame is strongly and positively correlated with its radical scavenging activity, especially against ABTS radicals. These findings highlight that different sesame varieties can be potentially be used as functional foods with antioxidant activities.