Mustard Oil and Erucic Acid: Where It Can Be Sold

Mustard oil is the everyday cooking oil of northern and eastern India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan, prized for its sharp, nose-tingling pungency. Yet in some countries it cannot be sold as a cooking oil at all. The reason is erucic acid. This guide explains what erucic acid is, the rules in major markets, and what importers need to know.

What erucic acid is

Erucic acid (C22:1) is a fatty acid found naturally in plants of the mustard and cabbage family, including mustard and traditional rapeseed. Under the Codex standard, mustardseed oil contains about 22–50% erucic acid. Studies in laboratory animals linked high intakes to changes in the heart, and food regulators in several countries limit erucic acid in edible oils as a precaution.

This is also why canola exists. Canola oil comes from rapeseed varieties bred to be very low in erucic acid, which is why it can be sold freely in markets where traditional rapeseed and mustard oils are restricted.

Rules in major markets

Market	Rule	What it means for mustard oil
India and South Asia	Mustard oil is a standard cooking oil. India sets full standards for mustard oil, including kachi ghani mustard oil.	Sold and used widely as a cooking oil
United States	FDA Import Alert 26-04 covers expressed mustard oil, which the FDA notes may contain 20–40% erucic acid, and treats oil with unsafe erucic acid levels as an unsafe food additive	Not permitted as a cooking oil; products labeled for topical use can also be detained if there is evidence they may be eaten
European Union and United Kingdom	Erucic acid limited to 50 g/kg (5%) in mustard oil, and 20 g/kg in most other vegetable oils	Standard mustard oil exceeds the limit
Australia and New Zealand	Erucic acid limited to 20,000 mg/kg (2%) in edible oils	Standard mustard oil exceeds the limit

Rules differ widely and change over time, and other countries have their own standards. Always confirm the current rules with your food regulator or customs broker before ordering.

The grades of mustard oil

• Kachi ghani (cold-pressed). Pressed at low temperature to keep the oil’s natural pungency. The pungency comes from allyl isothiocyanate, the same compound behind the heat of mustard and wasabi. In India, oil labeled kachi ghani must contain at least 0.20% natural allyl isothiocyanate. This is the traditional grade for cooking and pickling.
• Expeller-pressed. Pressed with more heat for a higher yield, with a milder pungency.
• Refined. Neutralized, bleached and deodorized to a light color and mild taste, with the pungency removed.

Refining removes pungency but does not remove erucic acid, which is part of the oil’s fatty acid makeup. All three grades are subject to the same erucic acid rules.

How mustard oil is used

• Cooking: curries, tadka (tempering spices in hot oil) and Bengali fish dishes. Cooks often heat kachi ghani oil until it just starts to smoke, then cool it slightly before adding spices, which softens the raw pungency.
• Pickling: mustard oil is the traditional base for achar, where its pungency helps both flavor and preservation.
• Retail: 1-liter and 5-liter bottles of kachi ghani oil for South Asian grocery shelves.

Quality checks for importers

• Erucic acid content, by fatty acid analysis, reported on the Certificate of Analysis for each lot.
• Pungency, measured as allyl isothiocyanate, if you are buying kachi ghani oil.
• Argemone oil. Mustard seed can be contaminated with seeds of the argemone plant, whose oil is toxic, so mustard oil should be tested for its absence.
• Acid value and peroxide value, for freshness. Our guide to reading a Certificate of Analysis explains them.

Our mustard oil

We supply mustard oil for export only, in kachi ghani, expeller-pressed and refined grades, from 1-liter bottles to 20,000-liter flexitanks. We do not supply mustard oil for delivery in the United States, and quote requests with a US delivery address cannot include it. Every batch is tested for pungency, acid value and argemone oil before it is packed, and the erucic acid content of each lot is reported on its Certificate of Analysis.

Please give your destination country and intended use with your quote request, and we will advise what can be supplied. See our mustard oil page for full specifications, our guide to importing bulk cooking oil for the import process, or add mustard oil to your quote list.

Sources

• US FDA: Import Alert 26-04, expressed mustard oil
• Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1870 on erucic acid
• Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Schedule 19: maximum levels of contaminants and natural toxicants
• Codex Alimentarius: Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (CXS 210-1999), mustardseed oil