Mustard seeds have been in culinary and medicinal use since at least the beginning of recorded history.
Mustard seeds contain much fixed oil together with protein, sugars and mucilage. The oil is obtained by expression and is straw colored. It is present to about 24 to 16% in white mustard and 24 to 40% in black mustard.
Mustard seeds are sold whole, ground into powder or processed further into prepared mustard around the world.
The major types of mustard seeds used in cooking and food processing are white, brown and black.
As mustard seeds contain fixed oil which tends to go rancid on storage, this is frequently removed from the black mustard used, the final mixture containing about 30% of derived from white mustard; this given to the products mildly insistent pungency.
Mustard seed
