IARI 's Double Zero Mustard Variants To Be A Boon For Health

IARI scientists said Pusa Mustard 35 and 36 were released with low erucic acid and glucosinolates contents which are healthy for human and animal consumption.

New Delhi: Double Zero Mustard varieties, developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), contain low erucic acid and glucosinolate which is considered safe and healthy for human consumption and animal feed.

Elaborating on the benefits of Double Zero Mustard, Gopal Krishnan S, principal scientist of IARI, told ETV Bharat, "Both variants will be proven a boon for human as well as animal health as it will keep the heart and the stomach healthy. These varieties —Pusa Mustard 35 and Pusa Mustard 36 — have been released with low erucic acid and glucosinolates contents, which are healthy for both human and animal consumption as these are fulfilling the international standards of European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)."

Both varieties have below 2 per cent erucic acid and 30 ppm of glucosinolate properties. "These varieties are considered to have a safe level of erucic acid which is below 2 per cent as per international standards like those set by the EFSA and CODEX," he said.

"If we consume high erucic acid, it may cause myocardial fibrosis and lipidosis. Similarly, high glucosinolate creates guitar disease among animals after consuming excess glucosinolate. But these variants are within the prescribed limit for consumption," Krishnan S added.

As per IARI, a high level of erucic acid, above 5 per cent, is associated with potential health risks including heart and liver-related problems. High levels of glucosinolates, above 100 ppm/g of defatted seed meal (dry weight basis), may reduce palatability and negatively impact animal health by interfering with thyroid function and metabolism, he said.

To protect high-quality edible oil and protein-rich meal, suitable for livestock without toxicity concerns, IARI has developed four variants of Pusa Double Zero Mustard including Mustard 31, 33, 35, and 36.

As per IARI, these Mustard 35 and 36 are highly suitable for cultivation in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Western Uttar Pradesh, plains of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Having the content as per international standards, these are suitable for sowing in irrigated conditions, marking the oil and seed meals safer for humans and animals.

"We generally take seven to 10 years to develop a variant of mustard as it is a time-consuming process," Krishnan said.

What Veterinarians Say

"There are several issues including high intake of erucic acid and glucosinolate for digestion and infertility among animals. If the animals consume a balanced diet and nutrition then diseases can be prevented or even cured," Dr Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt of Uttarakhand said.

"If animals consume high amounts of minerals or chemicals, it will affect their digestive system. We should give them the required limit of foods to keep them healthy," Dr Tarun Kumar of Uttar Pradesh said.

View of General Physician

"Erucic acid is commonly known as fatty acid which has both benefits and side effects. In India, a large number of people consume mustard oil so these developed varieties will be beneficial for them. People will take the required limit to keep them healthy," Dr Harsh Bhardwaj, medical officer of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, said.

Salient Feature

It is a double zero variety for timely sown irrigated conditions of Zone-II with an average seed yield of 26.44 q/ha. The seeds are medium-sized with 38 per cent oil content which matures in about 141 days.

European Food Safety Authority Standards

The major sources of erucic acid are rapeseed and mustard oils. The EFSA proposed a lower maximum content of erucic acid in edible oils of 2 per cent instead of 5 per cent. The safe limit is below 30 ppm/g of defatted seed meal (dry weight basis), However, high glucosinolate levels, above 100 ppm/g, might reduce palatability and negatively impact animal health by interfering with thyroid function and metabolism.

These variants were developed by the division of genetics of ICAR, New Delhi and officially released for commercial cultivation under timely sown irrigated conditions in Zone-III which includes Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan. Its release was approved by the Central Sub-Committee on Crop Standards, Notification and Release of Varieties for Agricultural Crops, and was notified through notification on March 26 last year.

Pusa Double Zero Mustard-35 Yield

Pusa Double Zero Mustard-35 has an average yield of 2,184 kg per hectare and falls in the medium maturity group (131 to 133 days). This variety has a brownish-yellow seed and an oil content of 42.05 per cent.

Pusa Double Zero Mustard-36 Yield

Pusa Double Zero Mustard-36 has an average yield of 2,019 kg per hectare and falls in the medium maturity group (129 to 133 days). This variety has a brownish-yellow seed and an oil content of 41.82 per cent. Their adaptability to Zone-III mustard-growing regions makes them valuable for farmers seeking sustainable and profitable mustard cultivation.

Government Initiative

To promote the domestic cultivation of oil palm, the mission aims to bring 6.5 lakh hectares under oil palm plantations by 2025-26. Special emphasis is being placed on leveraging the agro-climatic potential of the Northeastern region and other oil palm-growing states. The ministry emphasised the need for states to prioritise achieving their plantation targets by addressing bottlenecks and mobilising available resources.

National Mission on Edible Oils

As per the data from the ministry, due to efforts of the government, the import dependency on edible oils has been reduced from 63.25 per cent in 2015-16 to 57.3 per cent in 2022-23 and domestic production has increased from 36.75 per cent in 2015-16 to 42.71 per cent in 2022-23 of the total demand despite rise in overall demand of edible oil.