Domestic mustard seed: Grading factors

B

Blotched seeds

Blotched seeds are oriental mustard seeds with black or brown discolourations on the seed coat.

Seeds only partly discoloured but otherwise sound are considered sound, but the discolouration is taken into account in the evaluation of colour. See Colour.
Seeds completely discoloured by blotch are considered damaged. See Damage.

Sound
Blotched – Not damaged assess in colour
Blotched – Damaged

Broken (BKN)

Any broken mustard that remains in the sample after cleaning and is otherwise sound is considered to be sound.

C

Canola (CNL)

Brown and oriental mustard seed

Canola is classed as Inconspicuous admixture.

Yellow mustard seed

Canola is classed as Distinctly detrimental.

Important: Grain inspectors are authorized to withhold grades on samples with unidentifiable admixtures until results of analyses are confirmed by seed analysts.

Classes

Domestic mustard seed is classed as yellow, brown or oriental, or mixed. The class forms part of the grade name; for example, Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Canada (Class), Account Heated. For a description of classes, see Identifying classes of domestic mustard seed.

Cockle (COC)

Cockle, or cow cockle, is a hard roundish seed with a dull surface covered with numerous small bumps giving the seed a rough spiky appearance. Colour can be deep black, bluish-black or orangish-brown.

Brown and oriental mustard seed

Cockle is part of Conspicuous admixture.

Yellow mustard seed

Cockle is considered Distinctly detrimental and included in Total conspicuous inseparable seeds.

Procedures

Use a microscope to examine the sample.

Colour (CLR)

In analysing colour, consider

The general degree of maturity
The amount and degree of discolouration, such as from weathering
The proportion of damaged seeds, that are distinctly green or otherwise colour-damaged; see Damage and Distinctly green
The amount of rime—light rime is considered in the overall appearance of the sample; see Damage

Conspicuous admixture (CADMX)

Conspicuous admixture is also called Conspicuous inseparable seeds in the grade determination tables.

Oriental and brown mustard seed

Small seeds or broken seeds of other grains
Weed seeds such as cow cockle, lamb’s-quarters, ball mustard, pigweed, cleavers, smartweed and lady’s-thumb
Any conspicuous foreign material except stones and soft earth pellets

Note: Canola and wild mustard are considered Inconspicuous admixture in oriental and brown mustard seed

See Inconspicuous admixture.

Yellow mustard seed

Seeds and foreign material designated as distinctly detrimental. See Distinctly detrimental
Small seeds and broken kernels of other grains
Weed seeds such as pigweed, lady’s-thumb, lamb’s-quarters and smartweed
Any conspicuous foreign material except stones and soft earth pellets

Important: Grain inspectors are authorized to withhold grades on samples with unidentifiable admixtures until results of analyses are confirmed by seed analysts.

Conspicuous inseparable seeds

See Conspicuous admixture

Contaminated grain

Important: Wear gloves and a mask to handle any sample that is suspected of containing contaminated grain.

Grain is contaminated for the purposes of the Canada Grain Act if the grain contains any substance in sufficient quantity that the grain is either

adulterated for the purposes of the Food and Drugs Act; or
contaminated within the meaning of the regulations made under section 51 of the Safe Foods for Canadians Act.

Treated seed

Treated seed is grain that has been adulterated with an agricultural chemical for agronomic purposes. The types of agricultural chemicals used to treat seed include pesticides, fungicides and inoculants. These seed dressings contain a dye to render the treated seed visually conspicuous. The colour of the dye varies depending upon the type of treatment and the type of grain. The current Canadian colour standard for pesticide and fungicide seed treatments for cereal (including corn) is red or pink. The colour standard for pesticide and fungicide seed treatments for canola is blue; however, green has also been used. Pulse crop (including soybeans) pesticide and fungicide seed treatments are typically blue or green. The coatings or stains may appear greasy or powdery and the surface area covered may range from tiny flecks to complete coverage.

Other chemical substances

Other chemical substances refers to any chemical residues either adhering to the kernel or remaining in the sample and to samples having a chemical odour of any kind.

Extraneous material

Can be defined as glass, metal, wood (including wood pellets), plastic or any other material not already defined in the Official Grain Grading Guide.

Procedures

If a sample is suspected of being coated with a pesticide, desiccant, inoculant or if the sample contains evidence of extraneous material, including any foreign chemical substance other than fertilizer pellets, the sample shall be graded Domestic Mustard Seed, Held IP Suspect Contaminated Grain and submitted to the Canadian Grain Commission. Determination as to whether grain is contaminated will be made by the Grain Research Laboratory in consultation with the Chief Grain Inspector for Canada.

Samples deemed to be contaminated are graded: Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Condemned.

D

Damage (DMG)

Damaged seeds include those that are

Distinctly shrunken or shrivelled
Badly discoloured from mould
Completely and densely covered with rime
Insect damaged, excessively weathered, sprouted, distinctly green, heated or otherwise damaged
Oriental mustard – completely discoloured by blotch

Procedures

Handpick the representative portion to determine the content of visually damaged seeds without magnification.
Determine the percentage by weight.
Crush the appropriate number of strips from the portion remaining. A crush is made with only one pass of the roller under firm pressure.
Convert the count of damaged seeds on the strip to percentage by weight. Add the percentage of visually damaged seeds and crushed seeds for Total damage.

Note: A 10-power magnifying lens may be used to confirm damage.

Distinctly detrimental (DDET)

Brown and oriental mustard seed

Cow cockle
Sclerotinia

Yellow mustard seed

Cow cockle
Sclerotinia
Wild mustard, canola/rapeseed
Other distinctly detrimental seeds (see Other distinctly detrimental seeds)
- Ball mustard
- Cleavers
- Cockle
- Dog mustard
- Hare’s ear mustard
- Stinkweed or pennycress
- Tansy mustard
- Tumbling mustard
- Wild buckwheat
- Wormseed mustard

There are separate distinctly detrimental tolerances for cow cockle, sclerotinia and wild mustard in combination with canola or rapeseed and other distinctly detrimental seeds. All listed are included in the total of distinctly detrimental and total of conspicuous inseparable seeds.

Distinctly green (DGR)

Distinctly green tolerances are applied to crushed seeds which are a distinct green throughout. Pale green or immature seeds are taken into account in the evaluation of colour. See Colour.

Procedures

See Damage.

E

Earth pellets

Hard earth pellets are pellets that do not crumble under light pressure. See Stones.
Soft earth pellets are pellets that crumble under light pressure. See Soft earth pellets.

Ergot (ERG)

Ergot is a plant disease producing elongated fungal bodies with a purplish-black exterior, a purplish-white to off-white interior, and a relatively smooth surface texture.

Excreta (EXCR)

Excrement from any animal including mammals, birds and insects.

Important : Wear gloves and a mask to handle any samples that you suspect may contain excreta.

Extraneous material

See Contaminated grain

F

Fertilizer pellets (FERT PLTS)

Fertilizer pellets are a manufactured plant nutrient product used by producers in the production of grain. They are typically small, round or irregular shaped and usually white, grey, brown, pink or reddish in colour.

Procedures

Handpick any fertilizer pellets and determine the concentration in the net working sample.
Fertilizer pellets are considered as a separate grading factor in all grades of domestic mustard seed.
- Grades of domestic mustard seed may contain one fertilizer pellet in 1000 g, including samples of commercially clean mustard seed.
- Samples containing one fertilizer pellet per 500 g up to 1.0% are graded Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Canada (Class) Account Fertilizer Pellets.
- Samples containing fertilizer pellets in excess of 1.0% of the net sample weight are graded Domestic Mustard Seed, Held IP Suspect Contaminated Grain. The sample should be submitted to the Canadian Grain Commission. Determination as to whether grain is contaminated will be made by the Grain Research Laboratory in consultation with the Chief Grain Inspector for Canada. Samples deemed to be contaminated are graded: Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Condemned.

Important: For samples between 500 and 1000 g – if the sample contains one fertilizer pellet, the sample grades Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Canada (Class) Account Fertilizer Pellets. If the sample contains no fertilizer pellets, it is considered to be within the grade tolerance.

Fireburnt (FBNT)

Samples that show any evidence of being charred or scorched by fire are considered fireburnt. Evidence includes odour, pieces of charred wood, and so on. Fireburnt seeds pop when crushed.

Procedures

Samples considered fireburnt are graded Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Canada (Class) Account Fireburnt.

Frost (FR)

See Damage.

G

Green (GR)

See Distinctly green.

H

Heated kernels (HTD)

Heated refers only to seeds that are distinctly heated or badly binburnt. Heated seeds have a heated odour.

Crushed seeds may be

Black—badly binburnt
Dark chocloate brown—distinctly heated
Light tan—slightly damaged from oxidation. If they have an odour or are present with brown or black crushed seeds, they are considered heated. Otherwise, they are included in Total damage, not heated.

Procedures

Examine 500 seeds for evidence of heating.
If no heated seeds detected, assess crushes for other damage. See Damage.
If at least 1 heated seed is detected, crush and assess an additional 500 seeds for heated seeds.
Heated seeds of other grains are included in the tolerance for Heated.

I

Inconspicuous admixture (INC ADMX)

In brown and oriental mustard seed, inconspicuous admixture includes

Canola
Common wild mustard seed
Any other seeds that blend and are not readily identified

Procedures

To determine the percentage by weight of inconspicuous admixture, analyse the sample with the aid of a microscope.

Important: Grain inspectors are authorized to withhold grades on samples with unidentifiable admixtures until results of analyses are confirmed by seed analysts.

Insect Damage (I DMG)

Insect damaged seeds are characterized by a perforation of the seed coat. See Damage.

Brown mustard with insect damage
Brown mustard with insect damage
Oriental mustard with cabbage weevil damage

M

Mixed classes (MXD CL)

Samples are designated mixed classes when they contain sufficient quantities of other classes of mustard seed. See Other classes.

O

Odour (ODOR)

There is no numeric tolerance for odour. Consider

The basic quality of the sample
The type and degree of the odour
The presence of visible residue causing the odour

Heated, fireburnt and odour for mustard
If odour is the grade determinant and there is:	Then the grade is:
A distinct objectionable odour not associated with the quality of the grain, but not heated or fireburnt	Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Canada (Class), Account Odour
A distinct heated odour	Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Canada (Class), Account Heated
A distinct fireburnt odour	Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Canada (Class), Account Fireburnt

Other classes (OCL)

If a sample contains more than 10% other classes, it is designated Mixed. Mixed mustard seed is graded according to all specifications except other classes, as in Mustard Seed, number 1 Canada Mixed.

Brown mustard seed

Other classes are yellow and oriental mustard seed and Brassica Carinata.

Oriental mustard seed

Other classes are yellow and brown mustard or Brassica Carinata.

Tolerance for other classes of mustard
Other class	Tolerance
Brown mustard or Brown Brassica Carinata	Working tolerance for seeds with brown hulls For Canada number 1 Oriental, 2.0% For Canada number 2, 3, 4 Oriental, 5.0%
Yellow mustard or Yellow Brassica Carinata	Considered Mixed if sample contains more than 10% of yellow mustard seed

Note: Working tolerances are applied in addition to the established grading tolerances.

Yellow mustard seed

Other classes are brown and oriental mustard seed or Brassica Carinata.

Other distinctly detrimental seeds (ODDET)

In yellow domestic mustard seed, the seeds listed below are considered Other distinctly detrimental seeds.

Ball mustard
Cleavers
Cockle
Dog mustard
Hare’s ear mustard
Stinkweed or pennycress
Tansy mustard
Tumbling mustard
Wild buckwheat
Wormseed mustard

Important: Grain inspectors are authorized to withhold grades on samples with unidentifiable admixtures until results of analysis are confirmed by seed analysts.

See Distinctly detrimental.

R

Rime

Rime is the lining of the pod adhered to the seed. Seeds that are completely and densely covered with white rime, with the exception of the hilum, are classed as damaged in any grade. Seeds with light rime sparsely covering the seed coat are

Considered as sound if not otherwise damaged
Considered in the evaluation of colour; see Colour

Rime damage: Four kernels on left – not rime damage. Two kernels on right – rime damage.

S

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (SCL)

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a fungus producing hard masses of fungal tissue, called sclerotia. The sclerotia vary in size and shape, have a coarse surface texture, vary in exterior color from dark black to gray to white and have a pure white interior.

Soft earth pellets (SEP)

Soft earth pellets are

Earth pellets that crumble into fine dust under light pressure, using a finger only— if they do not crumble, they are considered Stones
Any non-toxic material of similar consistency

Important: In domestic mustard seed, fertilizer pellets are not considered soft earth pellets. See Fertilizer pellets.

Sprouted (SPTD)

Sprouted mustard is defined as those seeds having a ruptured seed coat in combination with either a sprout that protrudes beyond the normal contour of the seed or distinct swelling of the seed. Seeds having a ruptured seed coat that are otherwise sound are only considered sprouted when found in combination with seeds meeting the determination of sprouted.

Procedures

Divide the sample to the appropriate representative portion.
Handpick the representative portion for sprouted seeds.
Determine the percentage by weight.

Note: Sprouted mustard is included in “Total Damage” for grade assessment.

Stones (STNS)

Stones are hard shale, coal, hard earth pellets, and any other nontoxic materials of similar consistency.

Note: Fertilizer pellets are not assessed as stones in samples of Domestic Mustard Seed. See Fertilizer pellets.

Procedures

Handpick stones from a representative portion of the cleaned sample.
Determine stone concentration in the net sample.

Samples of grain grown in western Canada containing stones in excess of “basic grade” tolerances, up to 2.5% are graded Domestic Mustard Seed, Rejected “basic grade” Account Stones. The “basic grade” refers to a grade established in the Canada Grain Regulations (grades listed in the first column in grade determination tables) that would have been assigned to the sample if it contained no stones.
Samples of grain grown in eastern Canada containing stones in excess of grade tolerances are degraded to lower grades. Samples containing stones in excess of the tolerance of the lowest grade established by regulation up to 2.5% are graded Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Canada (Class) Account Stones.
Samples of western and eastern Canadian grain containing more than 2.5% stones are graded Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Salvage.

Examples: Western Canada

Excerpt from grade determination tables for Domestic Mustard Seed
Grade name	Stones %
number 1 Canada	0.05
number 2 Canada	0.05
number 3 Canada	0.05
number 4 Canada	0.10

Basic grade: Domestic Mustard Seed, number 2 Canada (Class)
Reason for basic grade: 2.0% Distinctly green

Grade in western Canada if stones found
If the above sample contained	Grade in western Canada
0.08% stones	Domestic Mustard Seed, Rejected number 2 Canada (Class) Account Stones
1.0% stones	Domestic Mustard Seed, Rejected number 2 Canada (Class) Account Stones
3.0% stones	Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Salvage

Examples: Eastern Canada

Excerpt from grade determination tables for Domestic Mustard Seed
Grade name	Stones %
number 1 Canada	0.05
number 2 Canada	0.05
number 3 Canada	0.05
number 4 Canada	0.10

Basic grade: Domestic Mustard Seed, number 2 Canada, (Class)
Reason for basic grade: 2.0% Distinctly green

Grade in eastern Canada if stones found
If the above sample contained	Grade in eastern Canada
0.08% stones	Domestic Mustard Seed, number 4 Canada (Class)
1.0% stones	Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Canada (Class) Account Stones
3.0% stones	Domestic Mustard Seed, Sample Salvage

T

Treated seed and other chemical substances

See Contaminated grain.

V

Variety (VAR)

Domestic mustard seed is graded without reference to variety.

W

Wild mustard (WM)

Brown and oriental mustard seed

Wild mustard seeds are classed as Inconspicuous admixture.

Yellow mustard seed

Wild mustard seeds are classed as Distinctly detrimental.

Important: Grain inspectors are authorized to withhold grades on samples with unidentifiable admixtures until results of analyses are confirmed by seed analysts.