Cake is the byproduct of commercial mustard oil extraction.
Mustard cake is the residue left over from commercial mustard oil or meal production. In lieu of established prepared mustard identity standards, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), mustard cake's only definition is ground mustard seed or meal where some of the inherent oil has been removed. When mustard seeds are crushed, 33 percent oil is recovered and the remainder is protein-rich cake. Mustard cake is used as an ingredient in animal feed and applied as a nutritious soil amendment.
Mustard Byproducts Abound
Millions of tons of mustard oil are produced worldwide.
Globally, 13 to 14 million tons of mustard oil are produced every year, with consumption rising five percent annually. India, China and Canada are lead producers of mustard oil. Canada is the world's top trader in an industry that trades up to six million tons of mustard oil per annum. All of this oil producing creates a massive byproduct. Fortunately, mustard cake is valued as a soil conditioner, so recycling is not a problem. Mustard cake trades 2.5 million tons a year, with India providing 400 tons alone.
A Plant Root Rot Solution
One of the most injurious plant pathogens is Fusarium solani, which causes vascular wilt and root rot. Plants in the squash family are particularly susceptible. Affected plants are the source of massive crop losses around the world. This fungal disease is genetically highly adaptable and can live up to two years in and on the outer coating of seeds. Seed germination drastically drops and plants that manage to grow are destroyed through root rot. The application of mustard cake as a soil amendment has proved highly effective in combating this devastating disease.
Mustard Cake and Seed Germination
Infected cucumber seeds can produce healthy crops with applications of mustard cake.
In addition to adding rich nutrients to the soil, mustard cake apparently kills Fusarium solani infected seeds and soil. According to research at the University of Karachi in Pakistan, sterile and non-sterile soil amended with mustard cake helped cucumber seeds infected with Fusarium solani attain a maximum germination of up to 96 percent. Seed mortality dropped to less than six percent. In non-sterile soil, cucumber growth also increased when treated with mustard cake applications.
Combating Plant Root Infection
In the same University of Karachi study, mustard and neem cake mixtures were found to be more effective in reducing plant root infections and seedling mortality in gourds and cucumbers than chemical fungal controls. Although mustard cake applications have the highest efficiency combating root infection in cucumbers, no oil cake proved 100 percent successful in preventing or curing the harmful effects of the Fusarium solani fungal pathogen. The prospect of a natural, commercial byproduct recycled in such a dynamic manner is confident progression.
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