30 TPD Mustard Oil Plant in India — Jaipur Rajasthan Kachi Ghani Cold-Press Case Study

Q: What is kachi ghani mustard oil and what is the FSSAI standard?

Kachi ghani (literally 'raw crusher' in Hindi) refers to traditional cold-pressed mustard oil where the pressing temperature does not exceed 40°C. The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) kachi ghani standard requires that the temperature of the oil and oil cake during pressing must remain below 40°C throughout the extraction process. This preserves the characteristic pungency from allyl isothiocyanate, natural tocopherols (vitamin E), phytosterols, and other bioactive compounds that are destroyed at higher processing temperatures. FSSAI permits producers to label their oil as 'Kachi Ghani' only when certified compliant with this temperature requirement, allowing them to market it as a premium traditional product and command a 40–60% price premium over standard hot-pressed mustard oil.

Q: How do consumers distinguish kachi ghani from expeller-pressed mustard oil?

Indian mustard oil consumers are sophisticated in distinguishing kachi ghani from standard hot-pressed (expeller) mustard oil. Key markers: (1) FSSAI-certified kachi ghani label — legally this label can only be used with proper certification, (2) Pungency — kachi ghani has a sharp, strong pungent smell that makes eyes water; hot-pressed oil has a milder, more cooked aroma, (3) Colour — kachi ghani is typically a deeper, richer golden-yellow, whereas hot-pressed may appear lighter due to pigment breakdown at high temperatures, (4) Flavour — kachi ghani has characteristic mustard sharpness when used in cooking. Premium-priced kachi ghani brands also rely on brand certification documentation displayed on packaging, and increasingly on QR codes linking to FSSAI certification records.

Project Overview

The Challenge

A Rajasthan mustard oil company wanted to capture the growing premium kachi ghani market. Indian consumers pay a 40–60% premium for certified kachi ghani over standard hot-pressed mustard oil. The FSSAI kachi ghani standard is legally binding: pressing temperature must not exceed 40°C at the cake exit. Standard commercial screw presses reach 110–130°C — far above the limit.

The challenge was engineering a 30 TPD plant that genuinely and consistently maintains below 40°C — verifiable by FSSAI inspectors — while remaining commercially viable on slightly lower oil yield.

The Solution

SinoOil's kachi ghani approach uses low-RPM, small-barrel presses that generate minimal friction heat:

6× 6YL-95 low-temperature screw presses (5 TPD each) — smaller barrel, slower RPM, authentic kachi ghani results
No pre-cooking or conditioning — room temperature pressing only
Mustard moisture controlled to 12–14% via water spray tumbler, optimising pungency development
Temperature monitoring probes at each press cake exit — FSSAI inspection-ready continuous logging
72-hour natural gravity settling in SS tanks (traditional kachi ghani clarification method)
Gravity cotton filtration — no filter press (maintains traditional character)
FSSAI kachi ghani certification documentation package provided

#	Equipment	Model / Specification	Qty
1	Cleaning screen	TQLZ60, 6T/h capacity	1
2	Destoner	TQSx, gravity destoner	1
3	Moisture conditioning tank	Water spray + tumbler drum, 12–14% target	1
4	Low-temperature cold-press screw press	6YL-95, low-RPM, 5 TPD each, cake exit <40°C	6
5	Temperature monitoring probes (cake exit)	PT100 probes, data logger, FSSAI compliant	6
6	72-hour settling tanks SS	SS304, 5T each, gravity settling	4
7	Gravity cotton filter (traditional)	Traditional cloth filter, SS304 frame	2
8	Mustard oil storage tanks SS304	10T each, nitrogen blanket	2
9	FSSAI-compliant packaging line prep	Semi-auto filling, 500ml/1L glass bottles	1
10	UV sterilisation unit (optional)	UV-C, 254nm, 500L/h extended shelf life	1
11	Quality test lab	PV, FFA, pungency (AITC), tocopherol tests	1 set

Frequently Asked Questions

What is kachi ghani mustard oil and what is the FSSAI standard?

Kachi ghani (literally "raw crusher" in Hindi) refers to traditional cold-pressed mustard oil where the pressing temperature does not exceed 40°C. The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) kachi ghani standard requires that the temperature of the oil and cake during pressing must remain below 40°C throughout extraction. This preserves allyl isothiocyanate pungency, natural tocopherols (vitamin E), phytosterols, and other bioactive compounds destroyed at higher temperatures. FSSAI permits the "Kachi Ghani" label only with proper certification, allowing producers to command a 40–60% retail price premium over standard hot-pressed mustard oil. This Jaipur plant achieved FSSAI kachi ghani certification in January 2024, enabling retail pricing of ₹280/litre versus ₹180/litre for standard mustard oil.

What temperature does a standard screw press reach versus a kachi ghani low-temperature press?

A standard commercial screw press operates at 110–130°C at the cake exit due to high RPM friction. Kachi ghani low-temperature presses (like the 6YL-95) are designed with a smaller barrel diameter and slower rotation speed, generating significantly less friction heat, with cake exit temperatures of 35–40°C — within the FSSAI kachi ghani standard. The yield trade-off: low-temperature pressing achieves approximately 35% oil from mustard versus 38–40% for standard hot-pressing — a 3–5 percentage point yield penalty. However, the 40–60% retail price premium for certified kachi ghani more than compensates, making it significantly more profitable per tonne of mustard processed.

What is allyl isothiocyanate and what are the health benefits of mustard oil pungency?

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is the primary compound responsible for the characteristic sharp pungency of mustard oil. It forms during pressing when myrosinase enzyme acts on sinigrin glucosinolate in mustard seeds. AITC is preserved in kachi ghani processing but largely destroyed in hot-press or refined mustard oil. Health research has associated AITC with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. More established are the tocopherol (vitamin E, 620 mg/kg in this plant's output) and phytosterol benefits of cold-pressed mustard oil. In Indian cooking tradition — particularly in Bengal and Rajasthan — the pungent aroma and flavour of kachi ghani mustard oil is essential to traditional dishes and valued for perceived superior health benefits.

How do consumers distinguish kachi ghani from expeller-pressed mustard oil?

Indian mustard oil consumers distinguish kachi ghani from standard expeller-pressed oil through: (1) FSSAI-certified "Kachi Ghani" label — legally usable only with certification, (2) Pungency — kachi ghani has a sharp, strong pungent smell; hot-pressed oil has a milder, more cooked aroma, (3) Colour — kachi ghani is typically a deeper golden-yellow; hot-pressed may appear lighter due to pigment breakdown at high temperatures, (4) Flavour — kachi ghani has characteristic mustard sharpness when used in cooking. Premium brands also use QR codes linking to FSSAI certification records, and third-party lab reports for AITC and tocopherol content are increasingly used as quality proof-points on premium packaging.

When does mustard oil refining make sense, and when should it be skipped?

Mustard oil refining (degumming, neutralising, bleaching, deodorising) is appropriate for producing odourless, flavour-neutral mustard oil as a commodity cooking oil competing with refined soybean or sunflower oil on price. Refining removes pungency, colour, and bioactive compounds, creating a pale neutral oil. For kachi ghani premium mustard oil, refining is contraindicated — it would destroy the allyl isothiocyanate pungency, tocopherols, and characteristic colour that justify the premium price. This Jaipur plant deliberately skips the refinery stage. The key driver is target market: premium kachi ghani requires no refinery; commodity mustard oil requires a full refinery; a mixed-market strategy needs a separate batch refinery for the deodorised version to be operated independently.

30 TPD Mustard Oil Plant in India — Jaipur Rajasthan Kachi Ghani Cold-Press

Project Overview

The Challenge

The Solution

Process Flow

Equipment List

Project Results

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Frequently Asked Questions

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