Are hemp, flax, chia, and sesame generally sold raw, or is heating processing used to isolate these seeds?
1 Answer
It seems like heat processing (Pasteurization) is normally used for all of these seeds, unless otherwise marked.
Hemp seeds (hemp hearts)
One brain claims that many other brands of hemp seeds are heat-sterilized. This is supported by an answer on Quora which indicates that hemp seeds imported into the United States are sterilized.
Flax seeds
This 2015 article on NPR explains about a warehouse that performs heat treatment on flax and chia seeds.
Chia seeds
See above about NPR article.
Sesame seeds
This random webpage claims that there is no such thing as a raw sesame seed.