An Overview of the Latest Distribution of Black Sesame Producing Areas
Black sesame is the black seed of sesame in the Pedaliaceae family. It contains large amounts of fat and protein, as well as carbohydrates, vitamin A, vitamin E, lecithin, calcium, iron, chromium and other nutrients. It helps strengthen the stomach, protect the liver and promote red blood cell growth, and can also increase melanin in the body, which is beneficial to hair growth. Let us take a look at the distribution of black sesame producing areas below!
Distribution of Black Sesame Producing Areas
Black sesame is widely cultivated in China, with the main producing areas being Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hebei and other provinces. It is an annual herbaceous plant. The mature seeds come in two kinds, black and white. The black ones are mostly used medicinally, while the white ones are mostly used as food. Names vary slightly from place to place, with many designations such as sesame, oil sesame, jusheng and huma.
Environment of Black Sesame Producing Areas
1. Soil: Because black sesame has small seeds and a shallow root system, it is best suited to being grown in loose soil that is slightly acidic to neutral (PH 6.5-7.5). Loose soil can reconcile the supply conflicts among water, fertilizer and air, and is conducive to the extension of the root system.
2. Temperature: The entire growth period of black sesame requires an accumulated temperature of 2500-3000 degrees C, and development is most suitable at an average day and night temperature of 20-24 degrees C.
3. Rainfall: The suitable rainfall during the entire growth period of black sesame is 210-250 millimeters.
4. Sunlight: Black sesame requires sufficient sunlight throughout its entire growth period. Sufficient sunlight can strengthen photosynthesis, help the accumulation of nutrients, meet the needs of flowering and fruiting, make the fruits numerous and the seeds plump, and is conducive to the formation of oil.
Identification of True and False Black Sesame
1. Character identification: This product is flat and oval, 2.5-4 millimeters long and 1.5-2 millimeters wide, with one end bluntly rounded and the other end pointed, about 1 millimeter thick. The surface is black, with reticulate wrinkles or indistinct ones. Under a magnifying glass, fine warty protrusions can be seen. The edge is smooth or has 2 rings of raised ridge lines. At the tip there is a round dot-shaped brown hilum. The seed coat is membranous. The endosperm is white and fleshy, wrapping outside the embryo as 1 thin layer. The embryo is straight, with 2 large white cotyledons, and is oily. The odor is weak and the taste is bland. After crushing, it has the aroma of sesame oil.
2. Microscopic identification: Cross section of the seed: The outermost part of the seed coat is 1 row of cylindrical cells arranged in a palisade pattern, with the outer wall slightly protruding outward in a round-headed shape. The cells are filled with melanin and contain one large spherical calcium oxalate crystal cluster, formed by the combination of a large number of small prismatic crystals. Inward is a row of flat cells with thin walls, and scattered small prismatic crystals are commonly seen in the cell cavities. Further inward, several layers of degenerated, flattened outer endosperm cells can be seen. The inner endosperm consists of 3-4 layers of thin-walled cells, polygonal in shape. The cotyledons are of the dorsiventral type, with cylindrical palisade cells beneath the upper epidermis. The cells of the endosperm and embryo are filled with starch grains and fatty oil.
3. Powder identification: Black-gray, oily, with aroma. The surface view of the outer seed coat cells is polygonal, and the cells are filled with melanin and contain one large spherical calcium oxalate crystal cluster, 25-48 micrometers in diameter. The cotyledon and endosperm cells are roundish, containing large amounts of aleurone grains. The free aleurone grains are oval, 3-7 micrometers long, containing one globoid and one square or polygonal crystalloid. Fatty oil droplets are scattered.