Hydrocarbons and 2-alkylcyclobutanones in sesame seeds ( Sesamum indicum L.) irradiated at 0.5-4 kGy were used to determine the effect of subsequent steaming, roasting, and oil extraction from the roasted samples on the changes in their concentrations. The concentrations of radiation-induced hydrocarbons increased almost linearly (R(2) = 0.8671-0.9953) with the applied dose. The hydrocarbons, 1,7-hexadecadiene and 8-heptadecene, were detected only in the irradiated samples before and after three types of treatments at doses > or =0.5 kGy, but they were not detected in non-irradiated samples before and after treatment. These two hydrocarbons could be used as markers to identify irradiated sesame seeds. The concentrations of the three detected 2-alkylcyclobutanones, 2-dodecylcyclobutanone (2-DCB), 2-tetradecylcyclobutanone (2-TCB), and 2-(5'-tetradecenyl)cyclobutanone (2-TeCB), linearly increased with the irradiation dose. These compounds could be detected at doses > or =0.5 kGy but not in non-irradiated samples. The three types of treatments had no significant effect on the levels of 2-alkylcyclobutanones.