Rapeseed Oil

Mustard oil has a distinctive pungent taste, characteristic of all plants in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family. It is often used for cooking in North India, Eastern India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. In Bengal, Orissa, Assam and Nepal, it is the traditionally preferred oil for cooking. The oil makes up about 30% of the mustard seeds. It can be produced from black mustard (Brassica nigra), brown Indian mustard (B. juncea), and white mustard (B. hirta).

The characteristic pungent flavour of mustard oil is due to allylisothiocyanate. Mustard oil has about 60% monounsaturated fatty acids (42% erucic acid and 12% oleic acid); it has about 21% polyunsaturated fats (6% the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid and 15% the omega-6 linoleic acid), and it has about 12% saturated fats.Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae. B. napus is cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, the third-largest source of vegetable oil in the world.