Chapters 8.53: Difference between revisions

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  <div class="title"><h3>8.53-Low-Cost Butter/Yoghurt/Cheese Churner</h3><br><h3 class="ch-owner">Alara Ozden, University of Guelph, Canada </h3></div>
  <div class="title"><h3>8.53-Mustard Crop Value Addition</h3><br><h3 class="ch-owner">Lauren Quinlan, University of Guelph, Canada </h3></div>
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<p>Suggested citation for this chapter.</p>
<p>Suggested citation for this chapter.</p>
<p>Ozden,A. (2022) Low-Cost Butter/Yoghurt/Cheese Churner,In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org</p>
<p>Quinlan,L. (2022) Mustard Crop Value Addition,In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org</p>
       <h3 class="title-bg">Background</h3>
       <h3 class="title-bg">Introduction</h3>
         <div class="cont-bg">
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           <P>Dairy products can be important sources of vitamins and minerals. Milk protein is important for young children because it stimulates insulin like growth-factor-1 (IGF-1), and can help with bone growth, and bone mass acquisition (Givens, 2020). Low milk consumption can especially affect girls negatively more than boys (Givens, 2020). Girls have a harder time with intaking enough calcium, iodine, magnesium, and other important nutrients (Givens, 2020). For pregnant women, not drinking milk can affect the cognitive abilities and iodine levels of the offspring (Givens, 2020). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, milk contains all the essential amino acids that a human needs (Muelhoff & Bennet, 2013). Low-cost butter/ yogurt/ cheese churners are important because these foods help to preserve the nutrients found in milk in places without refrigeration and add value to raw milk. According to USDA, while milk lasts for 6-8 days, butter can last up to three months (Longer Durability, 2020). Storing dairy as a butter can be much more beneficial to both farmers and non-farmers. For example, in Ethiopia, there have been multiple projects to improve the lives of dairy farmers across the country (SNV Netherlands Development Organization, 2020). Most of the farmers were able to get a credit from local farming co-operatives. In a documentary by the Netherlands Development Organization, an Ethiopian milk farmer would be prevented from drinking milk beyond 200 days per year due to fasting periods  (SNV Netherlands Development Organization , 2010). Due to lack of correct storage methods, the milk would go bad, and she could not pay her workers. So, she decided to borrow money from a local cooperative and learn how to pasteurize her milk and churn it into butter or cheese (SNV Netherlands Development Organization , 2010).</p>  
           <P>Mustard has been a very popular plant over the centuries as it offers many uses. Mustard (usually canola) is used as a cooking oil, and is deemed the best cooking oil for human health (Gunstone, 2004). Mustards are also used as a high protein meal for animals (Acharya et.al, 2015) Mustards versatility is also proven in the leaves, as the leaves are harvested and eaten as a warm dish called “saag” in South Asia (Ahmed et. al, 2006). According to the FAO, a smallholder farmer in Nepal will have about 2% of their crops as mustard seeds (Rapsomanikis, 2015). Mustard is also great for smallholder farmers as it can also reduce the need for added chemicals as it reduces weeds, pests and disease (Chapagain & Raizada, 2017).</P>
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       <h3 class="title-bg">Churner Options </h3>
       <h3 class="title-bg">Mustard oil</h3>
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<p>According to the World Bank over 90% of the world has access to electricity (The World Bank, 2019). Currently there can be many electric churner options that can be found on websites such as Alibaba for low cost churners (e.g. Figure 1). The prices can range up to 50 USD for electric options. </p>
<p>For the smallholder farmer cooking oil is very useful for their own families and they can sell it to other farmers. Oil can be extracted from the mustard seeds in many ways, however for smallholder farmers they will most likely want to use the traditional method of extraction as it does not require as much equipment or investment.</p>
<p><b>Figure 1. An electronic option costing $50 USD for more professional churning</b></p>
<p>The seeds are placed in a circular pit, in the center is a pestle and one end it is attached to a beam with a counterweight at one end and yoked by an animal so it can spin (Achaya, 2015). The pressure breaks the seed and eventually crushes the oil out, this is called Ghani technology (Achaya, 2015). This technology requires an animal, preferably a strong one like an ox or a horse. The large drum (circular pit) and pestle can be scavenged, as long as the equipment functions, there are no specific requirements. The operator can also be the counter weight to the yoke in order to provide lateral pressure to the yoke and therefore the pestle (Achaya, 2015). Labor will be needed in controlling and guiding the oil extraction process as well as packaging (Achaya, 2015). Cooperatives are most useful in helping to provide an ox for families or in networking farmers to target markets and help them to sell their products. Farmers can sell this oil to their neighbors or through food markets, and cooperatives can also help in this area by providing packaging to these farmers so their product stays clean and sealed.</p>
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<p>Issues with producing oil from this crop would be the startup costs; being as the equipment is relatively large and expensive a cooperative would be needed to help or families would need to join together to purchase the initial equipment. It may also be difficult for smallholder farmers to store mustard seeds as the climate may not allow for it. Increased humidity leads to more diseases and pests (Suma, 2013).</p>
Figure 2. Cheap $1 USD Churner in Alibaba
<p>The following are excellent resources for smallholder farmers, and although the process for extraction and cleaning is a bit higher tech, it is very useful for smallholder farmers to understand the methods and modern technologies they could put into practice: http://www.uvm.edu/extension/cropsoil/wp-content/uploads/smallscale_oilseedprocessing.pdf https://rodaleinstitute.org/small-scale-oilseed-production/. And also this awesome pdf from the FAO: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5251e.pdf.</p>
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       <h3 class="title-bg">Alternative Options </h3>
       <h3 class="title-bg">Cooked food from mustard leaves</h3>
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<p>According to the World Bank, almost all the places without electricity are in developing countries (The World Bank, 2019). For these places, low-cost, non-electric churners are available costing as little as 1 USD (see Figure 2). There also can be traditional options. For example, in Ethiopia, they use clay pot and a three fork stirrer. They first stir it with the stirrer and than churn it in the clay pot by shaking it [International Livestock Research Institue (ILRI), 2015].</p>
<p>Another use of the mustard plant is that it can be used for human consumption. Mustard leaves are used in a dish called “saag” in South Asia, which is typically served as a thickened green stew. The meal is prepared by washing and chopping the mustard greens (Vishwanathan, 2018). The greens are then cooked and simmered into a thick stew full of antioxidants (Vishwanathan, 2018).</p>
 
<p>The equipment needed is quite simple, as after it is harvested the leaves need to be pulled from the mustard plant and chopped up. They can be chopped with a knife or ripped if the proper equipment is lacking. The leaves need to be boiled and simmered so water is necessary and a pot to cook it in. Labor for this would typically include the individual needed to clean the leaves, simmer and cook them.</p>
    <p>An alternative machine could be a salad spinner (Figure 3). Salad spinners are normally used to wash and dry vegetables. Salad spinners consist of a secure lid, drainage outlet, and an outside bowl to put the water in to wash the vegetables. One of the biggest advantages of a salad spinner is that it can cost less than 7 USD at AliExpress. Although a disadvantage would be the effort and time it takes to produce the butter with this method.</p>
<p>The only serious target market for fresh saag is a roadside stand since it is typically served as a hot dish. However, there is also a market for dehydrated and packaged saag. This could be very useful for farmers to keep the saag over the next season. Difficulties would lie with packaging and drying, as drying requires a lot of equipment and therefore is very expensive. These two following links are dry packaged saag and can be purchased online although smallholder farmers would make their own:  https://www.amazon.ca/Jyoti-Saag-Paneer-Ounce-Pack/dp/B00CFX8N5E https://www.jyotifoods.com/product/saag-paneer/.</p>
<p><b>Figure 3. This is a image of a salad spinner (Image from AliExpress, 2021).</b></p>
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<p>In a YouTube video made by a couple, rather than using milk to churn butter, they use “kaymak” (Türker, 2020). Kaymak is traditionally made by slowly boiling raw milk and then simmering it for two hours over low heat (Kaymak recipe: Turkish style cooking 2021). The cream is skimmed and left to chill for a mild fermentation, for several hours or days after the heat source has been turned off. Kaymak contains a high proportion of milk fat, usually about 60% (Kaymak recipe: Turkish style cooking 2021). In the west, in recipes for homemade churned butter, almost all of them are seen using heavy cream which can be hard to find in developing countries. One can make it at home, but it requires mixing milk with butter for a long period of time. Therefore, compared to the Western way of churning butter, using kaymak can be much easier. With kaymak, yogurt also gets produced which is another useful instrument for making butter. While making butter with yogurt, the inner bowl of a salad spinner can be beneficial, due to its drainage technology, making it easier collect the chunks of butter. In a YouTube video, Yücesoy claims that while making butter traditionally, she mixes the yogurt as much as she can with cold water and then scrapes some parts of the jug where she could find butter (Zengin, 2021). She takes the parts that were formed and then washes them. Another way of using the salad spinner would be to cover the holes in the drainage bowl with a cloth. This method would also collect the butter chunks that form quite easily.</p>  
 
<p>A documentary by the Netherlands Development Organization also mentions that for butter and cheese to be formed through churning it would need to have the correct fat percentage (SNV Netherlands Development Organization, 2010). It is common for companies in developing countries to mix milk with water to increase the volume, which then makes it harder to churn ('Made in Milk' - the story of Hirut in Ethiopia 2010). That is why it is important for dairy farmers to also have access to lactometer measurements or produce their own milk to ensure there is no contamination from water. It is important to educate dairy farmers about this.</p>
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       <h3 class="title-bg">Critical analysis</h3>
       <h3 class="title-bg">Cattle feed</h3>
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<p>It is also important to target butter churners only to societies were dairy/butter consumption is high. In 2014, total milk production in Africa was 46,907,955 tonnes which was 6% of world average production (Matiello et al., 2017). According to FAO, across Africa and Asia, milk contributes to only 3-4% of dietary energy supply, 6-8% of dietary protein supply, and 7% of dietary dairy supply (FAOSTAT, 2019). This compares to nine percent of dietary energy supply in Europe. So, even if there were alternatives to churning dairy, it is important to consider if a specific target country will benefit from it (FAOSTAT, 2019).</p>  
<p>Once the oil is extracted from mustard seeds, it becomes a high protein meal for cattle usually called canola cake. This meal is great for animals and is actually proved to be more nutritious for dairy cows producing milk than soybean meal (Gous, 2014). This is very useful for smallholder farmers if they are producing mustard or canola oil anyways, as the high protein meal is a byproduct which can be used to feed their animals. This is one of the reasons why canola is such a great plant, because they can produce all three products with different parts of the plant.</p>
<p>In the end, even given such constraints, the ability to make a low-cost butter can be very important to the farmers across the developing world. It prevents smallholder farmers from wasting their milk. However, people should also not be afraid to use traditional methods: for example in a video filmed by the International Livestock Research Institute, the traditional way was faster at churning butter than the modern day the institute had given them [International Livestock Research Institue (ILRI), 2015]. Churning is important for dairy farmers as it lets people make a larger profit and lets them store their milk as butter. Aid agencies should work to find ways to offer low-cost churners including subsidies ro through cost-sharing with farmer co-operatives.</p>
<p>The equipment required to produce mustard cake is the same equipment needed for the oil extraction process as the purpose is the oil extraction not the production of meal. The only thing that needs to be added to the meal needs is water (Sehwag et.al, 2015). The capital cost is a big issue with this value addition, as well as the storage and transportation of the cake. </p>
<p>Another big issue is that such a large quantity needs to be bought and sold and stored as opposed to canola oil which one can buy in small quantities. Cooperatives need to be of assistance to provide proper silos where the meal can be stored at a regulated temperature and humidity until sold. Once purchased the meal can be put in trailers or wagons and be hauled to farms nearby (usually by an animal). This would be the target market for the producers and they do not need to package it, rather only store it in large quantities.</p>
<p>The cost analysis is also minimal for this byproduct because the majority of cost lies in the oil extraction, and the only additional cost for the meal is the water needed.</p>
<p>A common problem would be the storage and ensuring that the meal was not too moist or dry and then developing mold or pests on account of this. Here are some useful links to demonstrate how cattle benefit on canola: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7vTHGP49ks or https://www.canolacouncil.org/oil-and- meal/canola-meal/ are links proving canola is excellent for cattle and why.</p>
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       <h3 class="title-bg">Practical resources to get started</h3>
       <h3 class="title-bg">Summary</h3>
         <div class="cont-bg">
         <div class="cont-bg">
<p>1. $12 model
<p>In summary, mustard is an extremely useful plant for many reasons, and the best part is it can be used for all these value additions at the same time. I believe smallholder farmers would largely benefit from this crop and more cooperatives should make a push towards mustard crops for smallholder farmers as it gives so many benefits. As listed above these are the instructions that smallholder farmers need to produce this crop, extra research should be done before planting however if farmers can get enough initial investment to get this crop on the market, it could be a very successful business plan.</p>  
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/1000ml-1500ml-high-quality-Small-Manual_1600220396971.html?spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.normal_offer.d_title.724c4850zNmdIL</p>
<p>2. Alibaba link for a churner
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/1L-Hand-made-glass-butter-churn_62043091759.html?spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.normal_offer.d_title.724c4850zNmdIL</p>
<p>3. Alibaba link for a churner
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Multifunctional-food-processor-with-chopping-slicing_60098501267.html?spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.normal_offer.d_title.724c4850zNmdIL</p>
<p>4. Alibaba link for a churner</p>
<p>5. $1 model
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Rustic-Antique-Style-Glass-Hand-Butter_60639826938.html?spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.normal_offer.d_title.724c4850zNmdIL
<p>6. Alibaba link for a churner</p>
<p>7. $2 model
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Rustic-Style-Glass-Hand-Crank-1L_62423743847.html?spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.normal_offer.d_title.724c4850zNmdIL
<p>8. Alibaba link for a churner</p>
<p>9. $30 model
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/electric-butter-churn-milk-mixer-Kitchen_1600349727180.html?
spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.normal_offer.d_title.724c4850zNmdIL</p>
<p>10. Alibaba link for a churner</p>
 
<p>11. $50 USD model
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/CHURNER-MACHINE-NEW-WITH-GOOD-QUALITY-_1600282034739.html?spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.normal_offer.d_title.724c4850zNmdIL</p>
<p>12. Alibaba link for a churner
 
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dairy-health-food-or-health-risk-2019012515849</p>
<p>13. This article talks about the benefits and the negatives of milk
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD8ajJ6s108</p>
<p>14. Traditional way of doing ghee (India)
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH2q1GrA0so</p>
<p>15. Modern way of making butter at home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A0PoOtY3nU</p>
 
<p>16. Smallholder dairy farmers in Ethiopia that came together thanks to a aid program. They get to earn their living through this program.
https://ocul-gue.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01OCUL_GUE/1neq0sb/cdi_proquest_journals_2586790608</p>
<p>17. Article talking about how laborious it is to make ghee in Uganda
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl-beCOW_2E&t=76s</p>
<p>18. This video is about how shea butter, is made by hand. The process is not very similar to butter, but maybe same churner can be used </p>


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       <h3 class="title-bg">References </h3>
       <h3 class="title-bg">References </h3>
         <div class="cont-bg">
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  <p>1. ActionAid. (2015). What is a small holder farmer? Retrieved from http://actionaid.org/australia/2015/06/smallholderfarmers101</p>
  <p>1. Gunstone, F. D. Rapeseed and Canola Oil: Production, Processing, Properties and Uses. Blackwell Publishers, 2004, Canada books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BgPVh9ksy3cC&oi=fnd&pg=PR10&dq=canola as a healthy oil&ots=SOB9e8EGFe&sig=ODK-B1nOoqN-2wN_jO3BmsxTzRw#v=onepage&q=canola as a healthy oil&f=false.</p>
 
<p>2. Bovell, B. Adelia C. (2007) Sweet Potato: A Review of Its Past, Present, and Future Role in Human Nutrition. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, 7, 1–59, doi:10.1016/s1043-4526(06)52001-7.</p>
 
<p>3. Describe the different ways that food spoils. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.foodsafetysite.com/educators/competencies/general/microbiology/mic6.html</p>
 
<p>4. Dincer, Cuneyt, et al. (2011) Effects of Baking and Boiling on the Nutritional and Antioxidant Properties of Sweet Potato [Ipomoea Batatas (L.) Lam.] Cultivars. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 66 (4), 341-347. doi:10.1007/s11130-011-0262-0.</p>
 
<p>5. Gehse, Saskia, et al. (2018) Determination of the Effect of Boiling on the Bioavailability of Carotenoids in Vegetables Using Resonance Raman Spectroscopy. Laser Physics, 28(10), 105602. doi:10.1088/1555-6611/aad1b4.</p>
 
<p>6. Knott, S. (2018, March 22). One of Africa's most promising cities has a trash problem. Retrieved from https://qz.com/africa/1229079/ghana-the-worlds-fastest-growing-economy-has-a-trash-problem/</p>


<p>7. Sweet Potato Knowledge Portal, www.sweetpotatoknowledge.org/files/presentation-12-low-cost-technologies-value-addition-orange-fleshed-sweetpotato-smallholder-farmers-western-kenya/.</p>  
<p>2. P. Acharya, D. J. Schingoethe, K. F. Kalscheur, D. P. Casper. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, 2015, 95(2): 267-279, https://doi.org/10.4141/cjas-2014-130</p>


<p>8. Lerner, B. Rosie. “Time to Harvest Sweet Potatoes.” Purdue Extension - Purdue University, 21 Sept. 2018, http://extension.purdue.edu/article/30787.</p>
<p>3. Downey, R.K. 2003. Mustard. In S.H. Katz and W.W. Weaver (Vol 1 eds 1). 2003. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. Gale Virtual Reference Library. New York: Scribner. ISBN 0684314169.</p>


<p>9. Miller, L. M., & Cassady, D. L. (2015). The effects of nutrition knowledge on food label use. A review of the literature. Appetite, 92, 207-216. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2015.05.029</p>
<p>4. Abonyi, B., Feng, H., Tang, J., Edwards, C., & Fellman, J. (2006). Quality Retention in Strawberry and Carrot Purees Dried with Refractance WindowTM System. Journal of Food Science 67(3), 1051-1056. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2002.tb09452.x</p>


<p>10. Obi, L. “15 Ways You Can Add Value to Potatoes for More Money.” Daily Nation, 30 Sept. 2016, www.nation.co.ke/business/seedsofgold/ways-you-can-add-value-to-potatoes-for-more-money/2301238-3400418-e4g4ul/index.html. (cite as Obi, 2016)</p>
<p>5. Barthet, V. “Canola.” Canola | The Canadian Encyclopedia, 23 Apr. 2013, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canola.</p>


<p>11. Old Farmer's Almanac. (2018). Growing Sweet Potatoes. Retrieved November 29, 2018, from https://www.almanac.com/plant/sweet-potatoes</p>
<p>6. Achaya, K T. International Rice Commission Newsletter Vol. 48, FAO of the UN, Rome. www.fao.org/docrep/T4660T/t4660t0b.htm.</p>


<p>12. Shan, S., et al. (2012) Physicochemical Properties And Salted Noodle-Making Quality Of Purple Sweet Potato Flour And Wheat Flour Blends. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 37 (5) 709-716, doi:10.1111/j.1745-4549.2012.00686.x.</p>
<p>7. Suma, A. et al. (2013). Role of Relative Humidity in Processing and Storage of Seeds and Assessment of Variability in Storage Behaviour in Brassica Spp. and Eruca Sativa. Scientific World Journal 2013: 504141. Available at: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3893012/</p>


<p>13. Sustain (2007). How can improved food labelling contribute to a healthy and sustainable food system? Retrieved from https://www.sustainweb.org/publications/how_can_improved_food_labelling_contribute/</p>
<p>8. Vishwanathan, M.. “Sarson Ka Saag Recipe, How to Make Punjabi Sarson Ka Saag Recipe.” Veg Recipes of India, 25 Sept. 2018, www.vegrecipesofindia.com/sarson-ka-saag/.</p>


<p>14. “Sweet Potato Recipes.” Allrecipes, www.allrecipes.com/recipes/1094/fruits-and-vegetables/vegetables/sweet-potato/.</p>  
<p>9. Gous, R. (2014, July). Feeding canola to dairy cattle. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from https://www.proteinresearch.net/poems/images/projects/0459/literature-review/2-9-3a-lr-gous-r-2014.pdf </p>


<p>15. “Sweet Potato Processing and Uses.” International Potato Center (CIP), cipotato.org/crops/sweetpotato/sweet-potato-processing-and-uses/.</p>
<p>10. Sehwag, S., & Madhusweta, D. (2015). A brief overview: Present status on utilization of mustard Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 14(2), 244-250.  
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/523e/20b629e4b48a653d02737fd8c7064ea84a07.pdf</p>


<p>16. “Value-Added Products from Sweet Potato.” Business Diary PH, Business Diary Ph, 8 Dec. 2017, businessdiary.com.ph/6427/value-added-products-sweet-potato/.</p>  
<p>11. Rapsomanikis, G. (2015). The economic lives of smallholder farmers. FAO, Rome. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5251e.pdf</p>


<p>17. Victoria Grain Mill - Corona Style. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://torontobrewing.ca/products/victoria-grain-mill-corona-style?variant=32012717379&utm_campaign=gs-2018-10-07&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=Cj0KCQiA8_PfBRC3ARIsAOzJ2uofbhQoD5PPMrJmemx2diMDGAHWGcxHijD9bGs-mKJ4GkNSNI9sHm8aAkNGEALw_wcB</p>
<p>12. Chapagain, T., & Raizada, M. N. (2017, March 17). Agronomic Challenges and Opportunities for Smallholder Terrace Agriculture in Developing Countries. Frontiers in Plant Science 8: 331.</p>
<p>13. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5355443/</p>

Revision as of 10:00, 8 July 2022

8.53-Mustard Crop Value Addition


Lauren Quinlan, University of Guelph, Canada

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Suggested citation for this chapter.

Quinlan,L. (2022) Mustard Crop Value Addition,In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org

Introduction

Mustard has been a very popular plant over the centuries as it offers many uses. Mustard (usually canola) is used as a cooking oil, and is deemed the best cooking oil for human health (Gunstone, 2004). Mustards are also used as a high protein meal for animals (Acharya et.al, 2015) Mustards versatility is also proven in the leaves, as the leaves are harvested and eaten as a warm dish called “saag” in South Asia (Ahmed et. al, 2006). According to the FAO, a smallholder farmer in Nepal will have about 2% of their crops as mustard seeds (Rapsomanikis, 2015). Mustard is also great for smallholder farmers as it can also reduce the need for added chemicals as it reduces weeds, pests and disease (Chapagain & Raizada, 2017).

Mustard oil

For the smallholder farmer cooking oil is very useful for their own families and they can sell it to other farmers. Oil can be extracted from the mustard seeds in many ways, however for smallholder farmers they will most likely want to use the traditional method of extraction as it does not require as much equipment or investment.

The seeds are placed in a circular pit, in the center is a pestle and one end it is attached to a beam with a counterweight at one end and yoked by an animal so it can spin (Achaya, 2015). The pressure breaks the seed and eventually crushes the oil out, this is called Ghani technology (Achaya, 2015). This technology requires an animal, preferably a strong one like an ox or a horse. The large drum (circular pit) and pestle can be scavenged, as long as the equipment functions, there are no specific requirements. The operator can also be the counter weight to the yoke in order to provide lateral pressure to the yoke and therefore the pestle (Achaya, 2015). Labor will be needed in controlling and guiding the oil extraction process as well as packaging (Achaya, 2015). Cooperatives are most useful in helping to provide an ox for families or in networking farmers to target markets and help them to sell their products. Farmers can sell this oil to their neighbors or through food markets, and cooperatives can also help in this area by providing packaging to these farmers so their product stays clean and sealed.

Issues with producing oil from this crop would be the startup costs; being as the equipment is relatively large and expensive a cooperative would be needed to help or families would need to join together to purchase the initial equipment. It may also be difficult for smallholder farmers to store mustard seeds as the climate may not allow for it. Increased humidity leads to more diseases and pests (Suma, 2013).

The following are excellent resources for smallholder farmers, and although the process for extraction and cleaning is a bit higher tech, it is very useful for smallholder farmers to understand the methods and modern technologies they could put into practice: http://www.uvm.edu/extension/cropsoil/wp-content/uploads/smallscale_oilseedprocessing.pdf https://rodaleinstitute.org/small-scale-oilseed-production/. And also this awesome pdf from the FAO: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5251e.pdf.

Cooked food from mustard leaves

Another use of the mustard plant is that it can be used for human consumption. Mustard leaves are used in a dish called “saag” in South Asia, which is typically served as a thickened green stew. The meal is prepared by washing and chopping the mustard greens (Vishwanathan, 2018). The greens are then cooked and simmered into a thick stew full of antioxidants (Vishwanathan, 2018).

The equipment needed is quite simple, as after it is harvested the leaves need to be pulled from the mustard plant and chopped up. They can be chopped with a knife or ripped if the proper equipment is lacking. The leaves need to be boiled and simmered so water is necessary and a pot to cook it in. Labor for this would typically include the individual needed to clean the leaves, simmer and cook them.

The only serious target market for fresh saag is a roadside stand since it is typically served as a hot dish. However, there is also a market for dehydrated and packaged saag. This could be very useful for farmers to keep the saag over the next season. Difficulties would lie with packaging and drying, as drying requires a lot of equipment and therefore is very expensive. These two following links are dry packaged saag and can be purchased online although smallholder farmers would make their own: https://www.amazon.ca/Jyoti-Saag-Paneer-Ounce-Pack/dp/B00CFX8N5E https://www.jyotifoods.com/product/saag-paneer/.

Cattle feed

Once the oil is extracted from mustard seeds, it becomes a high protein meal for cattle usually called canola cake. This meal is great for animals and is actually proved to be more nutritious for dairy cows producing milk than soybean meal (Gous, 2014). This is very useful for smallholder farmers if they are producing mustard or canola oil anyways, as the high protein meal is a byproduct which can be used to feed their animals. This is one of the reasons why canola is such a great plant, because they can produce all three products with different parts of the plant.

The equipment required to produce mustard cake is the same equipment needed for the oil extraction process as the purpose is the oil extraction not the production of meal. The only thing that needs to be added to the meal needs is water (Sehwag et.al, 2015). The capital cost is a big issue with this value addition, as well as the storage and transportation of the cake.

Another big issue is that such a large quantity needs to be bought and sold and stored as opposed to canola oil which one can buy in small quantities. Cooperatives need to be of assistance to provide proper silos where the meal can be stored at a regulated temperature and humidity until sold. Once purchased the meal can be put in trailers or wagons and be hauled to farms nearby (usually by an animal). This would be the target market for the producers and they do not need to package it, rather only store it in large quantities.

The cost analysis is also minimal for this byproduct because the majority of cost lies in the oil extraction, and the only additional cost for the meal is the water needed.

A common problem would be the storage and ensuring that the meal was not too moist or dry and then developing mold or pests on account of this. Here are some useful links to demonstrate how cattle benefit on canola: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7vTHGP49ks or https://www.canolacouncil.org/oil-and- meal/canola-meal/ are links proving canola is excellent for cattle and why.

Summary

In summary, mustard is an extremely useful plant for many reasons, and the best part is it can be used for all these value additions at the same time. I believe smallholder farmers would largely benefit from this crop and more cooperatives should make a push towards mustard crops for smallholder farmers as it gives so many benefits. As listed above these are the instructions that smallholder farmers need to produce this crop, extra research should be done before planting however if farmers can get enough initial investment to get this crop on the market, it could be a very successful business plan.

References

1. Gunstone, F. D. Rapeseed and Canola Oil: Production, Processing, Properties and Uses. Blackwell Publishers, 2004, Canada books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BgPVh9ksy3cC&oi=fnd&pg=PR10&dq=canola as a healthy oil&ots=SOB9e8EGFe&sig=ODK-B1nOoqN-2wN_jO3BmsxTzRw#v=onepage&q=canola as a healthy oil&f=false.

2. P. Acharya, D. J. Schingoethe, K. F. Kalscheur, D. P. Casper. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, 2015, 95(2): 267-279, https://doi.org/10.4141/cjas-2014-130

3. Downey, R.K. 2003. Mustard. In S.H. Katz and W.W. Weaver (Vol 1 eds 1). 2003. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. Gale Virtual Reference Library. New York: Scribner. ISBN 0684314169.

4. Abonyi, B., Feng, H., Tang, J., Edwards, C., & Fellman, J. (2006). Quality Retention in Strawberry and Carrot Purees Dried with Refractance WindowTM System. Journal of Food Science 67(3), 1051-1056. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2002.tb09452.x

5. Barthet, V. “Canola.” Canola | The Canadian Encyclopedia, 23 Apr. 2013, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canola.

6. Achaya, K T. International Rice Commission Newsletter Vol. 48, FAO of the UN, Rome. www.fao.org/docrep/T4660T/t4660t0b.htm.

7. Suma, A. et al. (2013). Role of Relative Humidity in Processing and Storage of Seeds and Assessment of Variability in Storage Behaviour in Brassica Spp. and Eruca Sativa. Scientific World Journal 2013: 504141. Available at: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3893012/

8. Vishwanathan, M.. “Sarson Ka Saag Recipe, How to Make Punjabi Sarson Ka Saag Recipe.” Veg Recipes of India, 25 Sept. 2018, www.vegrecipesofindia.com/sarson-ka-saag/.

9. Gous, R. (2014, July). Feeding canola to dairy cattle. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from https://www.proteinresearch.net/poems/images/projects/0459/literature-review/2-9-3a-lr-gous-r-2014.pdf

10. Sehwag, S., & Madhusweta, D. (2015). A brief overview: Present status on utilization of mustard Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 14(2), 244-250. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/523e/20b629e4b48a653d02737fd8c7064ea84a07.pdf

11. Rapsomanikis, G. (2015). The economic lives of smallholder farmers. FAO, Rome. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5251e.pdf

12. Chapagain, T., & Raizada, M. N. (2017, March 17). Agronomic Challenges and Opportunities for Smallholder Terrace Agriculture in Developing Countries. Frontiers in Plant Science 8: 331.

13. Retrieved November 27, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5355443/

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