Is Sesame Oil Acidic or Alkaline?
Sesame oil (raw) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Like every cooking oil, sesame oil is neutral at −0.2 per 100 ml. Pressing leaves the protein, phosphorus and minerals behind in the press cake, so almost nothing but fat ends up in the oil. You'll use toasted sesame oil by the drop anyway, as a seasoning in a wok or in a dressing. It doesn't matter for your acid-base balance, but at 900 kcal per 100 ml it does matter for energy.
In the Oils & Fats category, sesame oil (raw) ranks #3 of 22, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Margarine (−0.4), Margarine, half-fat (−1.3). More acid-forming are Sunflower oil (0.0), Cottonseed oil (0.0), Peanut oil (0.0).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sesame oil acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Sesame oil (raw) has a PRAL of −0.2 per 100 ml, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does sesame oil count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At −0.2 per 100 ml, sesame oil is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Sesame Oil logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Oils & Fats: Oils & Fats table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.