Antioxidants of sesame have been reported to cure and prevent various diseases by means of diverse physiological activities, prevention of acidification in organisms, prevention of acidification and decay of lipids, cholesterol depression, preventive effects on chemical breast cancer, skin beauty and senescence inhibition, and so on. Recognizing their significance to health and disease prevention, researchers in Japan and America have given so much importance to study antioxidants in the last decade. In addition, they are actively pursuing studies on production, processing for food use and development of new varieties that have high antioxidant content. Recently, researchers in Korea have shown the same interest and have conducted similar studies, however, the importance of the following basic issues must be recognized to guide in future activites : First, improvement of sesame quality must be done to raise the contents of not only the fat and fatty acid but also sesamin, sesamolin and sesaminol glucoside. For the use of these components it is necessary to study the gentic pattern and individual selections developed from minimum sample size and fast lipid analysis techniques. Second, sesaminol of sesame has a remarkable function in preventing acidification and so sesame can be utilized as a food that prevents or delays aging caused by automatic acidification of fat. Therefore, for maximum medicinal benefit from sesame oil there is a need to develop food materials having new medicinal functions. Third, the sesamin and sesamolin content of sesame germplasms collected in Korea showed lower ranges of 0.04~~0.68 percent and 0.08~~0.68 percent respectively, while Japanese germ-plasm showed 1.9 percent maximum content of seasmin. Thus, germplasm collection and analysis of worldwide genetic resources are urgently needed.

개 재배지역산 참당귀의 decursin 함량변이를 조사하였으며, 각 재배지의 기상요인들과의 상관분석을 통하여 기상환경이 당귀 근의 decursin 함량에 미치는 영향을 파악하고자 수행된 실험결과는 다음과 같다. 1. 참당귀 근의 유효성분인 decursin과 decursinol angelate의 정량은 순상컬럼을 사용한 HPLC법이나 GC법이 양호하였다. 2. 참당귀 뿌리의 decursin 함량은 봉화산 4. 86%, 영천산 4.75%이며 수원산은 2.33%로 재배지역에 따른 함량변이가 비교적 컸다. 3. 생육기간별 각 기상요인들과 decursin 함량과의 상관분석 결과 통계적 유의상관은 보이지 않았으나, 평균기온과 강수량은 대체적으로 부의 상관을 보였으며 일교차, 일사량, 일조시수등은 정의 상관을 나타냈다.