Mustard Oil

Mustard oil is not one interchangeable product. Codex mustardseed oil may derive from white mustard, brown or yellow mustard, or black mustard seed, while rapeseed oil and low-erucic rapeseed or canola oil have separate definitions. Expressed fixed mustardseed oil used as a cooking oil is also different from steam-distilled volatile or essential mustard oil used as a flavoring. Atlas retains seed species and variety where relevant, expressed or essential form, crude, virgin, cold-pressed or refined process, intended use, fatty-acid and identity profile, erucic-acid result, oxidation and contaminant evidence, package or tank, lot, origin and delivery terms before comparing offers.

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-17Release 2026-09-19-batch-230
Market value
$2.5B
Producing countries tracked
9
Grading systems
1
Active supply risks
3
Trade corridors
3
Latest reviewed evidence

Codex CXS 210-1999, amended in 2026, defines mustardseed oil and gives supplementary crude-oil identity ranges: relative density 0.910–0.921 at 20 degrees Celsius, refractive index 1.461–1.469 at 40 degrees Celsius, saponification value 168–184 milligrams KOH per gram, iodine value 92–125 and unsaponifiable matter no more than 15 grams per kilogram. These are identity references from authentic samples, not results for an untested lot, proof of destination compliance, current availability or price.

Codex mustardseed-oil relative-density lower bound
0.91
relative density at 20 degrees Celsius; upper bound 0.921 · Codex CXS 210-1999, amended 2026; crude-oil supplementary reference
Codex mustardseed-oil refractive-index lower bound
1.461
refractive index at 40 degrees Celsius; upper bound 1.469 · Codex CXS 210-1999, amended 2026; crude-oil supplementary reference
Codex mustardseed-oil saponification-value lower bound
168
milligrams KOH per gram oil; upper bound 184 · Codex CXS 210-1999, amended 2026; crude-oil supplementary reference
Codex mustardseed-oil iodine-value lower bound
92
iodine value; upper bound 125 · Codex CXS 210-1999, amended 2026; crude-oil supplementary reference
Codex mustardseed-oil unsaponifiable-matter ceiling
15
grams per kilogram, maximum · Codex CXS 210-1999, amended 2026; crude-oil supplementary reference
Codex refined-oil acid-value reference ceiling
0.6
milligrams KOH per gram oil, maximum · Codex CXS 210-1999, amended 2026; supplementary quality reference
Codex refined-oil peroxide-value reference ceiling
10
milliequivalents active oxygen per kilogram oil, maximum · Codex CXS 210-1999, amended 2026; supplementary quality reference
Codex cold-pressed and virgin-oil peroxide-value reference ceiling
15
milliequivalents active oxygen per kilogram oil, maximum · Codex CXS 210-1999, amended 2026; supplementary quality reference
EU mustard-oil erucic-acid ceiling
50
grams per kilogram, maximum, subject to the regulation's local-production exception · Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 consolidated 1 January 2025

Seed species and product identity come before a mustard-oil grade

Codex defines mustardseed oil from white mustard, Sinapis alba or Brassica hirta; brown and yellow mustard, Brassica juncea; and black mustard, Brassica nigra. It separately defines rapeseed oil from named Brassica species and low-erucic rapeseed or canola oil from low-erucic varieties. Atlas records the declared species, variety where relevant, seed origin, crop and extraction dates and supporting identity evidence. A generic mustard, sarson, rape or canola name is not enough to transfer a composition result or commercial observation between products.

Expressed fixed oil and volatile essential oil stay separate

FDA's current Import Alert 26-04 distinguishes expressed mustard oil, a higher-viscosity cooking oil pressed from seed, from essential or volatile mustard oil produced by steam distillation and used as a flavoring. The alert applies to expressed oil and directs attention to erucic-acid safety and source-seed and manufacturing evidence; it does not make the two oil types interchangeable. Atlas retains expressed, pressed, solvent-extracted or steam-distilled form, viscosity and composition basis, intended use, label and destination status before comparing offers.

Mustardseed, rapeseed and low-erucic oils use separate composition evidence

Codex publishes distinct fatty-acid rows and supplementary physical characteristics for mustardseed oil, rapeseed oil and low-erucic rapeseed oil. Its specific 2-percent erucic-acid ceiling applies to the low-erucic rapeseed category, not automatically to every mustardseed oil. Atlas records the exact named product, fatty-acid profile, erucic-acid result and basis, method, laboratory, sample and lot, test date and destination requirement rather than relabeling a product from one test or trade synonym.

Crude, virgin, cold-pressed and refined oil retain processing and custody

Codex defines virgin and cold-pressed oils by their permitted mechanical and purification procedures and publishes separate supplementary acid and peroxide references for refined versus cold-pressed and virgin oils. CXC 36-1987 addresses oxidation, contamination, tanks, cleaning and previous cargoes during bulk storage and transport. Atlas retains extraction and refining steps, heat treatment, acid and peroxide values, moisture and impurities, tank or package, lining, previous cargo, cleaning, seal, sampling and chain-of-custody evidence with the exact lot.

Destination erucic-acid rules and standards do not establish a delivered mustard-oil price

The consolidated EU contaminant rule sets a 50-gram-per-kilogram erucic-acid maximum for mustard oil, subject to its stated competent-authority exception for locally produced and consumed oil. FDA's import alert uses a different U.S. control pathway for expressed mustard oil. Neither rule, a Codex identity range nor a supplier certificate establishes current availability, transaction value or delivered cost. A physical comparison still needs permitted current observations for the exact oil type, seed species, process and test evidence, origin, quantity, package or tank, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, route costs and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Are expressed mustard oil and essential mustard oil the same product?

No. FDA distinguishes the fixed cooking oil expressed from mustard seed from the volatile or essential flavoring oil produced by steam distillation. Their composition, viscosity, intended use and destination rules differ.

Are mustardseed oil, rapeseed oil and canola oil interchangeable?

No. Codex gives them separate product definitions and composition rows. Canola is a low-erucic rapeseed category; mustardseed oil has its own species definition and identity profile.

Does the Codex 2-percent erucic-acid limit apply to every mustard oil?

No. In CXS 210-1999 that requirement is stated for low-erucic rapeseed oil. Mustard oil still needs its own measured result and the current rule for the exact destination and intended use.

Does a Codex identity range prove an offered mustard-oil lot is compliant?

No. The range is a reference characteristic. Representative sampling, named methods, laboratory results, lot traceability, processing evidence and the destination's current requirements are still needed.

Which fields make mustard-oil offers comparable?

Seed species and variety where relevant, expressed fixed or volatile essential form, crude, virgin, cold-pressed, solvent-extracted or refined process, intended use, fatty-acid and erucic-acid results, density and temperature, refractive index, saponification and iodine values, unsaponifiable matter, acid and peroxide values, contaminants, package or tank and custody history, origin, lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.

Sources and provenance

Figures retain their source, period and review date. Corroboration is not promoted to primary evidence.

CXS 210-1999 — Standard for Named Vegetable Oils
Codex Alimentarius Commission, FAO/WHO · Primary international food standard, amended in 2026, defining mustardseed, rapeseed and low-erucic rapeseed oils separately and providing composition, identity and supplementary quality references; ranges are not a lot certificate or price · accessed 2026-09-17
Import Alert 26-04 — Detention Without Physical Examination of Expressed Mustard Oil
U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Primary current FDA field guidance distinguishing expressed cooking oil from steam-distilled essential or volatile mustard oil and identifying erucic-acid, source-seed and manufacturing evidence; the alert is U.S.-specific and not a global grade · accessed 2026-09-17
Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 — maximum levels for certain contaminants in food
European Union, EUR-Lex · Primary consolidated EU legal text setting the mustard-oil erucic-acid maximum and stated local-production exception; it is destination-specific and does not prove an offered lot's result · accessed 2026-09-17
CXC 36-1987 — Code of Practice for the Storage and Transport of Edible Fats and Oils in Bulk
Codex Alimentarius Commission, FAO/WHO · Primary Codex code for oxidation, contamination, tank, cleaning, previous-cargo, storage and transport controls for crude or processed edible oils in bulk; it is not a lot inspection or price · accessed 2026-09-17
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