Harinas Polo Black Sesame: Maximum visual contrast and a unique toasted flavor.

In the sectors of traditional and avant-garde baking, industrial pastry production, and healthy baked goods, the use of dark oilseeds serves not only to create unique textures but also to provide a premium visual contrast and deep, toasted aromatic notes. Harinas Polo’s Black Sesame is a high-quality botanical ingredient, selected and cultivated in Paraguay or Bolivia.

In line with global Clean Label standards, this ingredient stands out for being completely free from artificial additives. It offers total versatility in processing, allowing for direct inclusion within the dough or application on the surface as a coating or topping, without any minimum or maximum percentage recommended by the manufacturer. As a pure agricultural raw material (Sesamum indicum L.), it features a characteristic natural black color, along with a typical aroma and flavor that may exhibit slight variations depending on the geographical origin of cultivation and local weather conditions during the harvest.

Physicochemical Parameters, Tolerance Levels, and Sanitary Control.

The structural, mechanical, and analytical properties of black sesame are governed by strict internal acceptance limits to ensure the continuity and smooth flow of automated factory dosing processes:

Superior Botanical Purity: The batch guarantees an index of purity $\ge99.95\%$ (restricting impurities of plant origin to a maximum residual value of just $\le0.05\%$ ).

Structural Humidity Control: Establishes a critical maximum limit of >6.0% (with an actual table analytical average of 4.50 g per 100 g). This threshold is of vital importance to reduce water activity w) and avoid rancidity or fungal proliferation.

Stability of the Lipid Fraction (Free Fatty Acids): Sets an acceptance limit of a maximum of <2.0% free fatty acids in the oil fraction, ensuring freshness and the absence of prior hydrolytic degradation.

Macro-structural components: The technical specification guarantees a concentration of protein >18.0% (with an actual average of 20.00 g per 100 g) and a maximum limit of >55.0% (analytically averaging 50.00 g). Maximum total ash is bounded below <6.0% (actual value of 5.50 g).

Features and Functionalities for Professionals:

Black Sesame: The artisan baker's ally. It provides a sophisticated color contrast and a slightly firmer texture. It is rich in antioxidants (sesamin) and adds unique earthy notes.
Technical Functionality: Thanks to its high concentration of healthy lipids, sesame not only serves as a garnish but also adds a rich, creamy mouthfeel and an aroma that stimulates impulse buying.

Applications in the Sector:

Industrial Bakery: Coverage of premium hamburger buns, breadsticks, breadsticks and sliced breads multigrain.
Artisan Bakery: Decoration of sourdough loaves, bagels, and Mediterranean- or Asian-inspired specialties.
Bakery: Key ingredient in dry pastries, *polvorones*, and functional cereal bars.

Nutritional Analysis (100g).

The nutritional profile based on our high-purity black sesame seeds is detailed below:

Component Analytical	Average value per 100 g	Functionality and Impact on Rheological Mapping
Fats	50.00 g	Addition of natural oils that improve dough extensibility and make the crumb more pliable.
Saturated	7.00 g	Minimal and intrinsic saturated fatty acids of the oilseed.
Monounsaturated	18.80 g	Stable monounsaturated lipids that support the product's shelf life.
Polyunsaturated	24.20 g	Native polyunsaturated fatty acids rich in essential acids.
Trans	< 0.10 g	Trans fraction virtually non-existent in the crude product.
Omega-6 fatty acids	24.00 g	High linoleic acid content, ideal for a healthy nutritional profile.
Carbohydrates	11.00 g	Complex carbohydrates that play a subtle role in baking.
Of which sugars	0.30 g	Minimal natural simple sugars, reducing uncontrolled browning.
Fiber	11.80 g	A very high indigestible fraction that improves the nutritional value of the final bread.
Proteins	20.00 g	Significant plant protein concentration that complements the dough structure.
Ashes	5.50 g	Residual mineral content characteristic of the whole-grain nature of sesame.
Water (Moisture)	4.50 g	Percentage of free water optimized to prolong stability.
Vitamin E	–	Not declared in the document's analysis.
Salt / Sodium Equivalent	< 0.025 g / < 0.01 g	Minimal mineral micronutrients native to the seed tissue.
ENERGY VALUE	597 Kcal / 2465 KJ	Official energy density required for the development of the final labeling.

Why does Black Sesame have a shelf life of 24 months—double that of most of the company's seeds?

The extension of the shelf life of black sesame to 24 months is due to two factors—one technological and one intrinsic to the seed. First, it has a very low structural moisture content (<6.0%), which significantly lowers water activity and inhibits microbial growth. Second, sesame seeds (especially dark varieties with an intact seed coat) contain an extraordinary concentration of their own natural phenolic antioxidants, such as sesamolin, sesamin, and sesame. These compounds act as a biological shield that highly efficiently protects polyunsaturated fatty acids against oxidative rancidity, allowing free fatty acid levels to be maintained below 2.0% for twice as long as other oilseeds lacking such a coating.

How does the presence of minimal simple sugars (0.30 g) in black sesame seeds affect the surface baking process?

With a sugar concentration of just 0.30 g per 100 g, black sesame seeds contain an extremely low level of free carbohydrates. When used as a bread topping, this low sugar content slows down caramelization and inhibits uncontrolled Maillard reactions within the seeds during baking. This offers a significant industrial advantage: it prevents the topping from burning or developing bitter, charred notes in high-temperature ovens, allowing the seeds to gradually and optimally develop their essential toasted and nutty aromas while maintaining the integrity of their deep black color without becoming dull.