Fourteen selected sesame genotypes were grown in Patos, Paraíba State, Brazil and Barbalha, Ceará State, Brazil, and the trials were at a randomized block design with five replicates under non-irrigated and irrigated conditions, respectively. Seeds were evaluated for oil yield and chemical composition, while defatted meal was analyzed for amino acids content. The fatty acids and sterols profiles were also evaluated, as well as the characteristics for identity and oil quality. The differences observed between genotypes in the same area were small. However, significant differences (p <0.05) between the areas for oil content and protein were observed, with higher oil content found for genotypes in Barbalha, where the crop was irrigated. Higher amounts of stearic (C18: 0) and oleic acids (C18: 1) were observed for the oil from Patos, while for linoleic acid (C18:2) a higher content was found in Barbalha oil. As for sterols, campesterol, stigmasterol and delta 5 avenasterol were more abundant for samples from Barbalha, and sitosterol for samples from Patos (p <0.05). Some figures observed for some fatty acids, sterols, density and refractive index diverged from the identity characteristics described in Codex Alimentarius (2001), reinforcing the need to set up a national database that can support future changes in this standard.
oil; sterols; fatty acids
