Mustard Oil
Mustard oil is extracted from spicy mustard seeds. This annual crop is a member of the Crucifereae plant family. There are many species and varieties of Mustard plant like the black mustard, white mustard and brown mustard. Black mustard is very popular and is indigenous to Eurasia. It is widely cultivated in Belgium, India, Denmark, Canada, Argentina, China, Europe, Japan and Rome. This plant is also cultivated as a field crop in many other temperate zones of the world. Black Mustard contributes highly to the yield of Mustard essential oil. Mustard is celebrated as one of the world’s oldest spices and condiments known to mankind. Mustard plant grows up to a maximum height of 40 inches. The mustard leaves are soft, simple and alternately arranged. These yellowish green leaves measure about 6 inches long. The stem is round with long inter-modes. Mustard plant bears bright yellow colored flowers that are followed by Mustard fruit. This fruit is nothing but a small pod containing small mustard seeds. The fruit is erect and small with four angled pods holding the dark brown seeds. These seeds are dried for further use. The dried mustard seeds are round, small, black, grayish-brown or dark-brown in color.
Mustard oil is extracted from the mustard seeds either by pressing or grinding the seeds, or by steam or water distillation of the seeds. This oil is the world’s third largest edible oil after Soy oil and Palm oil. Mustard oil can also be called as a fatty vegetable oil. It is spicy, pungent, herbaceous and astringent in nature. Few reports state that Mustard oil is hazardous mainly because of the high content of allyl isothiocyanate. This chemical component is absent in the seeds and the seed powder. It is said that allyl isothiocyanate is formed only at the time of essential oil production.
Latin name: Brassica nigra/ Sinapis Alba/ Brassica juncea.
Alternative names: White mustard, Brown mustard, True mustard, Black mustard.
Mustard plants grow well in garden soils and prefer full sunlight. It grows well in temperate climatic zones. Propagation is carried out by sowing seeds in early spring. Harvesting is done before the fruit pods are fully ripe and this is symbolized by the color change of the plant to yellow. Mustard oil contains oleic acid, erucic acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, polyunsaturates, allyl isothiocyanate, saturated fats and omega-6 linoleic acid.
Uses: When compared to other vegetable oils in the market, mustard oil has been proved effective in reducing the level of cholesterol contributing to the lower risk of heart diseases. This is mainly because of the presence of alpha – linolenic. Mustard seeds are used in traditional medicine to treat rheumatism, coughs, arthritis, chills, lumbago, chilblains, pains and aches. Many recent researches have proved that Mustard oil is healthy to the heart mainly because of the rich components of calcium, protein, phenolics, natural antioxidants and phytins.
