Gingelly Seeds (Sesame) Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Unhulled (whole) sesame seeds contain 975mg calcium per 100g — 75% of the daily value and the highest calcium concentration among all common seeds and nuts. This exceeds almonds (269mg) by 3.6x, poppy seeds (1,438mg is higher but rarely consumed in quantity), and dwarfs cashews (37mg) and walnuts (98mg) ^[1][2].

However, hulling changes everything: white hulled sesame seeds contain only 60mg calcium per 100g — a 94% reduction. The seed hull (testa) is where nearly all the calcium is concentrated, along with oxalates. When you buy white sesame seeds (the most common form in Western markets), you're likely getting hulled seeds with minimal calcium ^[1][3].

Per tablespoon of unhulled seeds (9g): 87.8mg calcium (6.8% DV). Per tablespoon of hulled seeds: 5.4mg calcium (0.4% DV). For food journaling, this is a 16x difference — making hull status the single most critical variable when logging sesame seed calcium. Black sesame seeds are always unhulled.

Unhulled sesame seeds have 14.55mg iron per 100g (81% DV) — the highest iron concentration among commonly consumed seeds and nuts. Pumpkin seeds follow at 8.8mg, cashews at 6.7mg, and almonds at 3.7mg. Hulled sesame seeds retain 7.78mg iron (43% DV) — still substantial but roughly half the unhulled value ^[1][2].

Per tablespoon unhulled (9g): 1.31mg iron (7.3% DV). Per tablespoon hulled (9g): 0.70mg iron (3.9% DV). In tahini or sesame paste (typically made from hulled seeds), iron content follows the hulled profile. In black sesame preparations (always unhulled), iron follows the higher profile ^[1].

For food journaling, sesame's iron is non-heme (plant-based). The sesame hull also contains phytate and oxalate that can reduce iron and calcium bioavailability. Toasting sesame seeds may reduce phytate somewhat, potentially improving mineral absorption — though the magnitude of this effect varies.

Sesame seeds contain sesamin (0.3–0.6%) and sesamolin (0.2–0.6%) — two lignan compounds found exclusively in Sesamum indicum and in no other common food crop. Together they constitute roughly 0.5–1.2% of seed weight. These lignans convert to sesaminol and sesamol during processing, which are responsible for sesame oil's exceptional resistance to oxidative rancidity ^[2][3].

A tablespoon of sesame seeds (9g) contains approximately 45–108mg of lignans (sesamin + sesamolin combined). By comparison, flaxseeds have secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) as their dominant lignan, while sesame's lignans are structurally distinct methylenedioxyphenyl compounds ^[2][4].

For food journaling, sesamin and sesamolin are completely invisible to USDA, IFCT, and all standard food composition databases. The compounds that make sesame oil uniquely stable (and that define the flavor character of toasted sesame oil) are not tracked by any nutrition panel.

Unhulled sesame seeds deliver an unusually broad mineral and vitamin spectrum per 100g: 351mg magnesium (84% DV), 7.78mg zinc (70% DV), 34.4mcg selenium (63% DV), 97mcg folate (24% DV), 0.79mg thiamine (66% DV), 4.5mg niacin (28% DV), and 629mg phosphorus (90% DV). Few foods match this density across so many micronutrients simultaneously ^[1][2].

Per tablespoon (9g): 31.6mg magnesium (7.5% DV), 0.70mg zinc (6.4% DV), 3.1mcg selenium (5.6% DV), 8.7mcg folate (2.2% DV). The zinc is particularly noteworthy — sesame's 7.78mg per 100g exceeds all other common seeds (pumpkin 7.5mg, sunflower 5.0mg, flax 4.3mg) ^[1].

For food journaling, sesame seeds are worth tracking even in small tablespoon-level quantities because of the breadth of their mineral contribution. A single tablespoon touches 5–8% DV across multiple minerals simultaneously — a rare characteristic for such a small portion size.

Per tablespoon of unhulled sesame (9g): 52 kcal, 1.60g protein, 4.47g fat, 2.11g carbs, 1.06g fiber, 87.8mg calcium (6.8% DV), 1.31mg iron (7.3% DV), 31.6mg magnesium (7.5% DV), 0.70mg zinc (6.4% DV), and 56.6mg phosphorus (8.1% DV). The same tablespoon of hulled seeds: same macros, but only 5.4mg calcium ^[1].

Common sesame uses and their calcium implications: black sesame seeds (always unhulled) = full calcium. White sesame seeds (usually hulled in Western markets, sometimes unhulled in Indian/Asian markets) = check the label. Tahini (typically hulled) = low calcium. Til ladoo (traditionally unhulled black or brown sesame) = high calcium ^[1].

For food journaling, always determine whether your sesame seeds are hulled or unhulled before logging. The visual clue: black or brown seeds = always unhulled (975mg Ca). White seeds = potentially either — check the packaging. The nutritional difference is the single largest hull-dependent variation in any common food.