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Poppy Seed vs Sesame: shared flavor compounds

103 of 321 flavor compounds are shared (Jaccard 0.32) — the molecular basis for whether Poppy Seed and Sesame pair well or work as substitutes. Full side-by-side breakdown below.

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Two ingredients gives the full side-by-side breakdown; add a third to see a similarity matrix across all of them (up to 6).

103
Shared
127
Poppy Seed reported
297
Sesame reported
0.32
Jaccard

“Reported” counts reflect the compounds characterized for each ingredient across the studies and databases we aggregate — a measure of coverage, not an exhaustive census. Different analyses target different compound classes and methods, so read these as what has been characterized, not the total number of molecules present. Jaccard measures shared coverage, so it rewards overlap rather than highlighting the ratio differences that distinguish two ingredients.

Why they pair: shared-compound network

12 of 103 shared shown

Each molecule in the middle is shared by both ingredients — the chemistry bridging Poppy Seed and Sesame. Node color is chemical class and node size is perceptual potency (bigger = lower odor threshold, so it drives aroma at smaller amounts); a copper ring marks compounds flagged as key aromas in published GC-O studies. Zoom with the +/− buttons or a pinch, drag the background to pan, drag a node to pin it, click any molecule for its full profile.

Showing the 12 highest-impact of 103 shared compounds (key aromas first). Sign in for the full network, including the compounds unique to each ingredient.

Where they differ: aroma character

Profile distance 0.27

The Jaccard above measures overlap; this compares each ingredient’s aroma-family mix side by side — the wider the gap between the two bars, the more that family sets the ingredients apart. Poppy Seed reads left, Sesame reads right.

2.0%
Other
14.5%
17.2%
Green
9.7%
16.2%
Fruity
9.7%
6.1%
Roasted
11.2%
14.1%
Floral
10.4%
2.0%
Spicy
5.6%
1.0%
Sulfurous
3.7%
5.1%
Dairy
2.6%
16.2%
Sour
18.6%
3.0%
Citrus
1.1%
Poppy Seed ◀ ▶ Sesame

Shares are fractions of each ingredient’s labeled compounds (99 of 127 for Poppy Seed, 268 of 297 for Sesame) — compositional lean, not concentration. Aroma labels come from our compound enrichment and cover most, but not all, characterized molecules.

Pro names the molecules behind each difference — the specific compounds in each aroma family that one ingredient has and the other doesn’t. Sign in to see them.

Published recipes using both

1 found

Real dishes from our 610K+ curated recipe corpus that combine poppy seed and sesame — proof the pairing works in practice.

Shared compounds

103 of 321 total

These are the molecules both ingredients have in common — the chemistry behind why they pair. Grouped by chemical class; ★ marks compounds flagged as key aromas in published GC-O studies. Click any molecule for its identifiers (CAS, formula, PubChem CID), odor data, and every ingredient it’s found in.

Most perceptually potent shared compounds

79 of 103 shared are aroma compounds with a measured threshold

Odor threshold is the concentration at which a molecule becomes smellable — lower = more potent. These clear their threshold most easily, so they drive the shared aroma out of proportion to the raw shared count.

Showing the 6 most potent of 79 with measured thresholds. Sign in for the full ranked list.

Showing the 5 highest-impact of 103 shared compounds (key aromas first) — sign in for the full list, grouped by chemical class with key-aroma markers.

See 24 poppy seed-only and 195 sesame-only compounds with Pro

Side-by-side ingredient comparison — including the unique compounds in each ingredient — is a Pro feature.

Try the pairing tools for full recipe-aware scoring, or explore poppy seed's profile.

Cite this analysis
Plain text
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Poppy Seed vs Sesame. https://compkitchen.com/compare?a=poppy%20seed&b=sesame. Accessed 2026-09-29.
BibTeX
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_poppy_seed_vs_sesame_2026,
  title  = {Compound similarity analysis: Poppy Seed vs Sesame},
  author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://compkitchen.com/compare?a=poppy%20seed&b=sesame},
  note   = {Accessed: 2026-09-29}
}

Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.