Salmonella, mycotoxins and pesticides in the sesame supply chain
What it found
Salmonella, mycotoxins and pesticide residues have been found in sesame seeds and sesame products, often in imported goods, and these hazards have been linked to outbreaks and product recalls.
Most reports come from importing countries, with little data from the countries that grow sesame.
What they found
Studies in people
Outbreaks from sesame products
A 2016-2017 outbreak sickened 47 people across five European countries and was traced to sesame paste from Greece and sesame seeds from Nigeria. A later outbreak linked to halva and tahini from Syria infected 135 people in Europe, Canada and the United States between January 2019 and October 2021.
Sesame allergy
Sesame allergy triggers symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea, contact dermatitis and anaphylaxis. Reported prevalence varies from about 0.1% to 0.8%, and in some Middle Eastern countries sesame is a leading cause of food allergy and anaphylaxis.
Other findings
Salmonella in imported sesame
Salmonella is a major microbial hazard in imported sesame seeds and has caused several global outbreaks. Between 2009 and 2019, 56% of EU notifications for pathogenic organisms in imported foods were due to Salmonella-contaminated sesame seeds.
Salmonella rates in sesame
Almost 10% of 229 sesame seed shipments imported into the United States within a six-month period were contaminated with Salmonella. In Burkina Faso, 27% of 359 sesame samples intended for export over a 10-year period carried Salmonella.
Mycotoxins in sesame
Several studies found a low prevalence of mycotoxins in sesame, but some retail samples exceeded regulatory limits. In Nigeria, all 96 sesame seed samples had aflatoxin B1 above 2 μg/kg, and in Iran 25% of sesame seeds exceeded the European limit for aflatoxin B1.
Pesticides in sesame
Between January 2020 and March 2024, there were 419 EU notifications for pesticide residues in sesame seeds, mostly from India. Ethylene oxide was detected at over 1000 times the maximum residue level in sesame seeds imported into Europe from India in 2020.
What the authors conclude
“Eliminating foodborne hazards in the sesame value chain requires urgent attention from researchers, producers, processors, and regulators and suggestions for improving the safety of these foods are discussed.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that eliminating foodborne hazards in the sesame value chain requires urgent attention from researchers, producers, processors and regulators.
- They call for systematic investigations to identify the critical points where contamination occurs in the value chain.
- They advise that the safety of sesame seeds for domestic consumption must be prioritised as a research need in producing countries.
How it was done
Global demand for sesame has risen sharply, and major foodborne incidents have been tied to imported sesame seeds and products. The authors wanted to map where contamination happens along the supply chain so that prevention can be better targeted.
The authors reviewed published studies and official reports on microbial and chemical hazards in sesame seeds and sesame-based foods such as tahini and halva. They looked at data from producing countries in Africa and Asia and from importing countries in Europe, North America and elsewhere.
What it can’t tell you
- Most reports on hazards in sesame come from importing countries, so the picture in producing countries is incomplete.
- The review cannot show how often contaminated sesame actually makes people ill, because many studies only test for the presence of hazards.
- It cannot show which stages of production and processing are most responsible for contamination, because few studies cover the whole supply chain.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
- Authors work at
- University of West London, United Kingdom; University of Glasgow, United Kingdom; Ajayi Crowther University, Nigeria
The paper
- Title
- Food safety issues associated with sesame seed value chains: Current status and future perspectives
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Anyogu A, Somorin YM, Oladipo AO, Raheem S (2024). Food safety issues associated with sesame seed value chains: Current status and future perspectives. Heliyon. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36347Free full textPubMed 39253262DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error