Nigerian sesame seed specifications, explained.
Every sesame contract stands on half a dozen numbers. Understanding what each parameter means, and which ones matter for your application, is the difference between buying a specification and buying a surprise.
31 July 2026—Updated 28 September 2026—7 min read—Sparsh Khullar, Trade & Markets
What is on a Nigerian sesame specification?
A Nigerian sesame specification is a short document, but every line carries commercial weight:
| Purity | Percentage of clean sesame seed by weight. Natural grades trade at 98–99%; colour-sorted (sortex) grades at 99.5–99.95% |
|---|---|
| Moisture | Water content. Lower is safer for storage and shipping — 6% max is a common natural-grade limit |
| Oil content | Share of oil in the seed, typically 48–52% for Nigerian white sesame. Crushers buy this number |
| FFA (free fatty acid) | Measured on the oil; rises with age, damage and poor storage. Fresh, well-handled seed keeps FFA low |
| Admixture | Everything that is not sesame — dust, stems, stones, other seeds |
| Coloured seeds | Off-colour sesame in a white lot; the number the eye sees in visible applications |
| Aflatoxin | Mycotoxin limits set by the destination market; tested per lot at independent laboratories |
Which specification numbers matter for which application?
Tahini and halva makers care most about purity, oil content and flavour. Natural white at 98% or 99% purity is the usual raw material where the plant hulls the seed on its own line; where it does not, it buys hulled. Either way the coat comes off before roasting, because it is bitter and it darkens the paste. Oil crushers buy oil content and FFA: every point of oil is yield, and low FFA means less refining loss.
Bakery and topping applications are visual: coloured-seed count and uniformity dominate, which is why colour-sorted (sortex) seed at 99.5% purity and above commands its premium. Hulled sesame adds microbiological criteria, of which Salmonella absence per 25 g is the standard test, because it goes onto finished food with minimal further processing.
How do you read a certificate of analysis?
The certificate of analysis (COA) is the specification, verified. Check three things: that the laboratory is independent and named; that the lot number on the COA matches the lot in the contract and on the bags; and that every contracted parameter appears with a result, not just the flattering ones. A COA that omits FFA or aflatoxin on a food-grade lot is incomplete, not economical.
Serious exporters test per lot, not per season, and will courier a pre-shipment sample so you can verify the numbers in your own laboratory before the vessel sails. Shipment against a sealed retention sample, with third-party inspection at loading, closes the loop.
Where does specification drift actually happen?
Most disputes trace back to three gaps: moisture picked up between aggregation and stuffing, admixture from poor cleaning, and colour drift when a natural lot is sold against a sortex expectation. All three are process failures, and all three are visible before shipment to anyone who checks. That is why the buying question is never only "what is the specification?" but "at which points between farm gate and container do you measure it?"
Put this into practice
Send us your specification (grade, quantity, destination, Incoterm) and you will have a formal quotation within 48 hours.
The grades this applies to
Written by
Sparsh Khullar
Director — Trade & Markets
Runs the AgroMax trade desk from India: contracts, documentation and buyer relationships across destination markets. More about the team