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If you ever went to buy Mustard Oil with your grandfather (or father, depending on how old you currently are), you’ll probably remember a common “Quality Check” that he used to carry out. He would take a little bit of the Mustard Oil on the palm of his hand, spread it with the thumb of the other hand, and breathe in the aroma. The characteristic pungency would sting the nasal canal – indicating that the Mustard Oil was pure and of good quality.
Nowadays one can’t do that before buying Mustard Oil because the oil comes in a sealed bottle. However, even today some old-timers take a drop of oil from the bottle and use their noses to check the quality.
Sadly, this tried-and-tested Quality Check may not work in today’s world. You see, there are some brands that are using chemical-laden solvent extraction processes (instead of traditional cold-pressing methods) to extract oil from mustard seeds. This not only ruins the nutritional value of the oil – it also removes (or at best, reduces) the pungency. So what do these brands do? They retroactively add “artificial pungency”. This is a chemical that synthetically gives you the feel of pungency without the health benefits.
Do remember, the pungency of Mustard Oil comes from allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) which gives Mustard Oil powerful cancer-fighting capabilities along with many other health benefits. It is because of AITC that Mustard Oil is currently being used in the treatment of colon, intestinal and colorectal cancers.
So don’t be fooled by fake pungency. Place your trust in the real thing: pure cold-pressed Mustard Oil. It’s natural. It’s healthy. And its pungency packs a real punch!