New sesame varieties pack triple the antioxidants, targeting premium oil market

South Korea is pushing into the premium sesame oil market with a domestically developed sesame variety that contains roughly three times more lignan — an antioxidant compound — than imported or conventional varieties. A new perilla variety with plant-based omega-3 content raised to 66 percent is also being commercialized. The strategy is to differentiate Korean products from cheap foreign imports by boosting functional properties while also improving yields and processing efficiency.

The Rural Development Administration announced Wednesday that it has developed two new high-lignan sesame varieties, Seulgi and Roum, and a high-omega-3 perilla variety, Jian, and is moving to distribute and commercialize them in earnest.

Seulgi and Roum contain 13 to 14 mg of lignan per gram — about three times the 4 to 5 mg found in imported and conventional sesame. Lignan is sesame's signature antioxidant compound. Earlier RDA research confirmed that lignan can improve long-term memory and protect and regenerate nerve cells. Because it dissolves in oil, it remains in the extracted oil after pressing.

The new varieties also yield more. Seulgi and Roum produce 130 to 150 kilograms per 10 ares, 6 to 8 percent more than Geonbaek, the most widely grown domestic variety. Roum in particular has pods that resist splitting at harvest, allowing combine harvesting.

The perilla variety Jian contains about 66 percent alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid — higher than the 62 to 64 percent found in existing varieties Dayu and Deulsaem. Alpha-linolenic acid is an essential fatty acid the body cannot synthesize and must obtain through food. Previous RDA research found it can protect damaged brain cells and improve learning and memory.

Jian also delivers higher productivity and processing efficiency. It yields 142 kilograms per 10 ares — 8 percent more than Dayu — and its oil extraction rate is 33.3 percent, 3.4 percentage points higher.

The RDA is translating new variety development into actual production. This year it established pilot cultivation complexes covering 14 hectares of sesame and 13 hectares of perilla in Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, Jinju in South Gyeongsang Province, and Gochang in North Jeolla Province. In July, it signed an MOU with the city of Andong and a major edible-oil processor.

Later this year, a premium sesame oil made from Seulgi is set to launch. The RDA is also working with a processor to bring a plant-based omega-3 capsule product using Jian to market.

Seed distribution will also expand. Roum, which supports machine harvesting, will be supplied to farms through the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs starting in 2027. The RDA plans to produce about 1 metric ton of seed next year — enough to cover roughly 330 hectares. Seulgi and Jian will each have 50 kilograms of seed secured this year, with distribution beginning next year focused on processors' demand and major growing regions.

Overseas demand for Korean sesame and perilla oil is also growing. Sesame oil exports rose 28 percent last year compared with the previous year. In the first half of this year, exports reached $8.43 million, a record high for the same period.

"By commercializing the new sesame and perilla varieties, we have laid the groundwork to sharpen the distinction from cheap foreign imports and raise the value of our traditional oils," said Kim Byeong-seok, director of the RDA's National Institute of Crop Science. "Through seed distribution, expansion of production complexes and industry partnerships, we will increase farm income and strengthen the global competitiveness of Korean oils."