Mustard oil

Mustard oil is a pungent compound produced when enzymes break down glucosinolates in mustard and related plants. Its sharp heat comes chiefly from volatile isothiocyanates such as allyl isothiocyanate.

Glucosinolate: A sulfur-containing plant metabolite that can yield pungent products when enzymatically broken down. Mustard oil is generated from these stored precursors.
Sinigrin: A glucosinolate found in black mustard and other plants that yields allyl isothiocyanate when hydrolyzed. Its breakdown produces the characteristic pungent oil of black mustard.
Mustard condiment: A food paste or sauce made from ground mustard seeds and other ingredients. Its pungency develops when seed glucosinolates meet myrosinase and water.
TRPA1: A sensory ion channel activated by irritants, reactive chemicals, and cold in some tissues. Allyl isothiocyanate activates this channel, producing burning and irritation sensations.
Myrosinase: An enzyme that hydrolyzes glucosinolates into products including isothiocyanates. It catalyzes the reaction that releases mustard oil from glucosinolates.
Glucotropaeolin: A glucosinolate that yields benzyl isothiocyanate when hydrolyzed. It illustrates how different glucosinolates produce distinct mustard-oil compounds.
Wasabi: A pungent condiment made from the grated rhizome of Wasabia japonica. Its sharpness also comes chiefly from allyl isothiocyanate, despite a different plant source.
Chemesthesis: The perception of chemical irritation, cooling, or heat through sensory nerves rather than taste or smell alone. Mustard oil's sharp burn is a chemesthetic sensation.
Allyl isothiocyanate: A volatile isothiocyanate responsible for much of the sharp pungency of mustard and horseradish. It is the principal pungent compound in many mustard varieties.
Brassicales: An order of flowering plants that includes mustards, cabbages, and many glucosinolate-producing species. Many familiar sources of mustard oil belong to this plant order.

Linked from 7 pages