Mustard oil

Mustard oilcan mean either the pressed oil used for cooking or a pungentessential oilalso known as the volatile oil of mustard. The essential oil results from grindingmustard seed, mixing the grounds with water, and isolating the resulting volatile oil bydistillation. It can also be produced bydry distillationof the seed. Pressed mustard oil is used as cooking oil in some cultures, but sale is restricted in some countries due to high levels oferucic acid. Varieties of mustard seeds low in erucic acid have been cultivated.
Mustard oil was likely produced in the ancient Jewish town ofHuqoq, in modern-day Israel. This is suggested by distinctive agricultural features found there, such as semi-circular wine vats with steep slopes and lower troughs. Scholars believe these structures, dating toRomanorByzantinetimes, were used to crush mustard pods to make oil. Mustard production in Huqoq is also documented in theJerusalem Talmud.
Oil makes up about 30% of mustard seeds. It can be produced from black mustard (Brassica nigra), brown mustard (B. juncea), and white mustard (B. alba).
Having a distinctive pungent taste, the use of the oil is a feature of predominantlyAssamese,Bengali,NepaleseandNorth Indian cooking,as well asBangladeshi cuisine.It is sometimes used as a substitute forghee.
Its pungent flavor is due toallyl isothiocyanate, aphytochemicalof plants in the mustard family,Brassicaceae(for example,cabbage,horseradishorwasabi).
Mustard oil has about 60% monounsaturatedfatty acids(42%erucic acidand 12%oleic acid); it has about 21% polyunsaturated fats (6% the omega-3alpha-linolenic acidand 15% the omega-6linoleic acid), and it has about 12% saturated fats.
Mustard oil can have up to 44%erucic acid– a component ofcanola oil, which is deemed as a safefood ingredientfor human consumption when the erucic acid level does not exceed 2% of the total fatty acids and the canola oil is pure.
TheU.S. Food and Drug Administrationprohibits the import or sale of expressed mustard oil in the U.S. for use in cooking due to its high erucic acid content. By contrast, the FDA classifies essential mustard oil, which has a much lower erucic acid content, asgenerally recognized as safe, and allows its use in food.Expressed mustard oil is permitted in the U.S. as amassage oil, with a required "for external use only" label.
Mustard oil (per 100 g) contains 884caloriesof food energy and is 100%fat. The fat composition is 11%saturated fat, 59%monounsaturated fat, and 21%polyunsaturated fat.
The pungency of thecondiment mustardresults when ground mustard seeds are mixed withwater,vinegar, or other liquid (or even when chewed). Under these conditions, a chemical reaction between theenzymemyrosinaseand aglucosinolateknown assinigrinfrom the seeds of black mustard (Brassica nigra) or brown Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) producesallyl isothiocyanate. Bydistillationone can produce a very sharp-tastingessential oil, sometimes calledvolatile oil of mustard, containing more than 92% allyl isothiocyanate. The pungency of allyl isothiocyanate is due to the activation of theTRPA1ion channel in sensory neurons. White mustard (Brassica hirta) does not yieldallylisothiocyanate, but the milder4-Hydroxybenzyl isothiocyanatedegraded fromsinalbinrather thansinigrin.
Allyl isothiocyanateservesthe plant as adefense against herbivores. Since it is harmful to the plant, it is stored in the harmless form of a glucosinolate, separate from the enzyme myrosinase. Once the herbivore chews the plant, the noxious allyl isothiocyanate is produced. Allyl isothiocyanate is also responsible for the pungent taste ofhorseradishandwasabi. It can be produced synthetically, sometimes known assynthetic mustard oil.