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mustard seed

spice or herb / spice-mustard-seed

マスタードシード / Brassica juncea and related taxa

Mustard seed, a raw material for fermented pastes such as Assam's Kahudi and Kharoli. Bitterness and pungency are not treated as the same attribute.

On this page (7 sections)
  1. Overview
  2. Sources for this overview (3)
  3. Topic hubs
  4. Related entries (4)
  5. Sensory (2)
  6. How processing and cooking change it (2)
  7. Culture (1)
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Reading the bitterness

Kahudi and Kharoli from Assam are solid-fermented products made from mustard seeds. The preparation and analysis confirm a process of natural fermentation with acidic or alkaline additives. What this material shows is the raw material and process of the fermented products, not a measurement of the bitterness of mustard seed alone.

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a hydrolysis product of mustard seed, was added to curried rice and evaluated by 88 consumers. According to the description, bitterness increased for non-encapsulated AITC at both 0.123 mg/100mL and 0.115 mg/100mL, and for encapsulated AITC at 0.123 mg/100mL. However, the mean values by condition could not be confirmed; this was a test using a commercially isolated reagent, not a result from cooking mustard seed itself.

A separate abstract states that fully hydrolyzing mustard seeds and then leaching them with 60°C hot water yielded mustard powder with reduced bitterness while containing 0.355-0.392 g/100 g of allyl isothiocyanate. However, sensory scores showing the reduction in bitterness and quantitative values for the bitter constituent cannot be confirmed from the abstract.

Sources for this overview

  1. Additive-induced pH determines bacterial community composition and metabolome in traditional mustard seed fermented products

    Bora Sudipta Sankar; Dullah Samim; Dey Kuntal Kumar; Hazarika Dibya Jyoti; Sarmah Unmona; Sharma Darshana; Goswami Gunajit; Singh Naorem Romen; Barooah Madhumita / 2022 / journal article / full text checked

    Checked for this overview: Matched the scope: the raw material of Kahudi and Kharoli, natural fermentation with additives, and the limitation that the bitterness of mustard seed alone was not measured.

  2. Impact of Allyl Isothiocyanate Addition on Consumers' Sensory Perception in a Solid Food Matrix

    Dolan E; Faraone N; McSweeney MB / 2025 / journal article / full text checked

    Checked for this overview: Matched the concentration and encapsulation conditions as described, in the 88-consumer evaluation of curried rice with isolated AITC added, separately from the limitation that mean values by condition could not be confirmed.

  3. A method for preparation of mustard (Brassica juncea) powder with retained pungency and reduced bitterness

    Sindhu S; Maya P; Indira TN / 2012 / journal article / abstract checked

    Checked for this overview: Matched the scope: 60°C hot-water leaching after full hydrolysis, AITC content, and the point that the abstract does not give specific values for the reduction in bitterness.

Hypotheses and recipe candidates for this entry are on the Japanese page.

Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits

Sensory (2)

mustard seed increases Adding allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a hydrolysis product of mustard seeds, to curried rice at its detection-threshold concentration significantly increased bitterness intensity whether or not the AITC was encapsulated.supported

Scope: Layer: food. An experiment adding isolated AITC reagent rather than mustard seeds themselves. Curried rice received AITC at the detection threshold (0.123 mg/100mL) or below it (0.115 mg/100mL), with and without encapsulation, and was evaluated by consumers (n=88) using RATA.

The source states "The encapsulated AITC only increased bitterness and spiciness when added at the detection threshold and did not suppress the sweetness... The unencapsulated AITC added at both concentration levels suppressed the sweetness of the curried rice and increased the intensity of bitterness and spiciness." In the Results it says "The addition of AITC at both levels (e.g., encapsulated and unencapsulated) significantly increased the bitterness of the samples (p < 0.05). As stated above, AITC has been associated with bitterness (Green and Hayes 2004; Sindhu et al. 2012)."
Limitations: AITC was added as a commercial reagent; this was not a measurement in food prepared with mustard seeds themselves. Specific mean bitterness intensities and standard deviations appear in the paper's table, but the mapping of conditions to table columns could not be extracted.
Source: Impact of Allyl Isothiocyanate Addition on Consumers' Sensory Perception in a Solid Food Matrix (Dolan E; Faraone N; McSweeney MB, 2025) · full text checked
Show dataspice-mustard-seed —increases→ "Adding allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a hydrolysis product of mustard seeds, to curried rice at its detection-threshold concentration significantly increased bitterness intensity whether or not the AITC was encapsulated."
claim: clm-w72b3-mustard-aitc-increases-bitterness-curriedrice / type: sensory / updated: 2026-09-08
mustard seed shows the sensory response When 88 consumers evaluated curry-flavored rice with added AITC (a hydrolysis product of mustard seed) using the rate-all-that-apply (RATA) method (a 10-point intensity scale), the mean bitterness intensity was 1.4±1.0 for the control, versus 3.0±1.1 for the encapsulated-AITC detection-threshold group, 2.9±1.4 for the encapsulated-AITC below-threshold group, 3.4±1.5 for the unencapsulated-AITC detection-threshold group, and 3.1±1.2 for the unencapsulated-AITC below-threshold group, with all 4 treatment groups significantly higher than the control (indicated by statistical letter notation, p<0.05)supported

Scope: Dolan et al. 2025, Table 2; curry-flavored rice; 88 consumers; rate-all-that-apply (RATA) method; 10-point intensity scale

The Bitter row of Table 2: Control 1.4±1.0(b), Spray-dried AITC AD (encapsulated, detection threshold) 3.0±1.1(a), Spray-dried AITC BD (encapsulated, below threshold) 2.9±1.4(a), AITC AD (unencapsulated, detection threshold) 3.4±1.5(a), AITC BD (unencapsulated, below threshold) 3.1±1.2(a). Under the statistical notation where differing superscript letters indicate a significant difference, the control (b) differs significantly from all 4 treatment groups (all a).
Limitations: AITC is a commercially isolated reagent (allyl isothiocyanate), not the result of directly cooking mustard seed. Only the statistical letter notation is given here; the specific test method and p-values themselves are stated elsewhere in the text. Same experiment and same source as an existing claim.
Source: Impact of Allyl Isothiocyanate Addition on Consumers' Sensory Perception in a Solid Food Matrix (Dolan E; Faraone N; McSweeney MB, 2025) · full text checked
Show dataspice-mustard-seed —has_sensory_response→ "When 88 consumers evaluated curry-flavored rice with added AITC (a hydrolysis product of mustard seed) using the rate-all-that-apply (RATA) method (a 10-point intensity scale), the mean bitterness intensity was 1.4±1.0 for the control, versus 3.0±1.1 for the encapsulated-AITC detection-threshold group, 2.9±1.4 for the encapsulated-AITC below-threshold group, 3.4±1.5 for the unencapsulated-AITC detection-threshold group, and 3.1±1.2 for the unencapsulated-AITC below-threshold group, with all 4 treatment groups significantly higher than the control (indicated by statistical letter notation, p<0.05)"
claim: clm-mustard-seed-aitc-rata-bitter-scores-vs-control / type: sensory / updated: 2026-09-25

How processing and cooking change it (2)

mustard seed provides the material for Kahudi and Kharolisupported

Scope: Solid-fermented mustard seed products from Assam

Note: This is not direct evidence that mustard seed is a 『苦いスパイス』 (in translation: "bitter spice"), but evidence of its use as raw material for a fermented seasoning.

Preparation and analysis confirmed that both products use mustard seed as the raw material and undergo natural fermentation together with an acidic or alkaline additive.
Limitations: This is evidence about the raw material, not a measurement of mustard seed's own bitterness attribute.
Source: Additive-induced pH determines bacterial community composition and metabolome in traditional mustard seed fermented products (Bora Sudipta Sankar; Dullah Samim; Dey Kuntal Kumar; Hazarika Dibya Jyoti; Sarmah Unmona; Sharma Darshana; Goswami Gunajit; Singh Naorem Romen; Barooah Madhumita, 2022) · full text checked
Show dataspice-mustard-seed —provides_material_for→ "Kahudi and Kharoli"
claim: clm-mustard-seed-kahudi-kharoli / type: culinary / updated: 2026-08-31
mustard seed can be debittered by: It has been reported that fully hydrolyzing mustard seeds (Brassica juncea) and then leaching them with hot water produced mustard powder with reduced bitterness while retaining allyl isothiocyanate content.preliminary

Scope: Layer: food. Commercial mustard seeds (multiple particle sizes), treated by hot-water leaching (60°C) after complete hydrolysis.

Note: The full text could not be accessed (Elsevier journal, not open access). The full abstract was checked in Europe PMC's abstractText field. Numerical changes in protein, fat, and AITC content by particle size are given, but the abstract does not reveal specific measurements of bitterness reduction (such as sensory scores).

"Main purpose of this investigation was to process mustard seeds to obtain mustard powder with pungency retained and bitterness reduced. Results in terms of retained pungency and low bitterness were obtained by processing mustard seeds for total hydrolysis followed by hot water leaching of the bitterness... Mustard kernels having 0.355-0.392 g/100 g AITC and with reduced bitterness could be obtained after total hydrolysis and hot water leaching of the bitterness at 60 °C."
Limitations: Because the full text was not accessed, specific sensory scores for the degree of bitterness reduction or chemical-analysis values quantifying bitter constituents cannot be checked from the abstract.
Source: A method for preparation of mustard (Brassica juncea) powder with retained pungency and reduced bitterness (Sindhu S; Maya P; Indira TN, 2012) · abstract checked
Show dataspice-mustard-seed —can_be_debittered_by→ "It has been reported that fully hydrolyzing mustard seeds (Brassica juncea) and then leaching them with hot water produced mustard powder with reduced bitterness while retaining allyl isothiocyanate content."
claim: clm-w72b3-mustard-seed-processing-reduces-bitterness / type: processing / updated: 2026-09-08

Culture (1)

mustard seed is used as Spices and herbs that add bitter flavor and aroma to dishes and drinksunverified

Scope: A candidate at the level of general knowledge. Regional and naming differences have not been confirmed.

No source connected — this claim has not been verified yet. It is a general-knowledge placeholder, not a confirmed statement.

Show dataspice-mustard-seed —is_used_as→ "Spices and herbs that add bitter flavor and aroma to dishes and drinks"
claim: clm-spice-mustard-seed-candidate-role / type: cultural / updated: 2026-08-31

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