Mustard seeds are recognised as the most valuable source of oil. Asian countries like India, Thailand, and Pakistan rely on mustard oil majorly for cooking and frying dishes. Other countries, however, like the USA, Canada, and Europe have banned the use of this oil for human consumption. Mustard oil encompasses many medicinal properties and helps in removing toxic substances from the body as well. It has been banned in some countries despite these properties because of Erucic acid. According to the US Food And Drug Administration, the amount of Erucic acid in mustard oil is quite high. It is a type of fatty acid and is detrimental to health purposes. It is not metabolised properly and harms the brain cells as well. Erucic acid is also associated with many mental disorders like memory impairment. It also leads to the increased accumulation of fat in the body. Keeping in mind these purposes, the USA, Canada, and Europe have banned the consumption of mustard oil.
All the containers of mustard oil sold in the USA are labelled for external use only. These bans don’t involve mustard oil’s use in other applications like skin and hair care formulations. Instead of mustard oil, in the USA and Europe, soybean oil is used for cooking. Soybean oil contains Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, which promote collagen. This brings flexibility to the body and makes the skin more supple. This oil is also helpful in brain development and reduces the wrinkles on the face. Soybean oil also comprises Vitamin E in abundance which is essential for healthy skin and hair.
Countries in which mustard oil has been banned for human consumption are trying to address the safety concerns in it. As per Anderson International Corp, research and development are underway to reduce the Erucic acid content in this oil. Canadian researchers even developed a low-Erucic acid cultivar of rapeseed in the 1950s, They named it Canola, which is a short acronym for Canadian oil with low acid. The FDA has approved one brand of edible mustard seed oil. This brand is produced from a cultivar bred explicitly for its low levels of erucic acid.