Celery Seed EO

Latin name :

Apium graveolens

Botanical profile :

Celery is a plant of the Apiaceae family, such as parsley EO or coriander seed EO, and of the genus Apium.

Geographic origin :

Initially cultivated in Eastern Europe and Asia, celery is now present throughout the Mediterranean region. Today, India (50% of the world's total production), France, England and the USA are the main producers.

Chemotypes :

Celery is a derivative of the celery leaf. There are a great number of varieties of which the best known are:
Apium Graveolens var. secalinum. (the most used)
Apium graveolens var. rapaceum.
Apium graveolens var. dulce.

Extraction process :

The first year of growth, celery forms a bouquet of leaves close to the ground. Flowers bloom during the following year. In June and July, stalks of celery are cut with a sickle in the morning and dried for a few hours. The plant is beaten to extract the seeds and separate the different elements. The celery seeds and roots are the most important sources of the EO. It is also possible to find it in the leaves and stems with a lower quality and yields.
Commercially, the seeds are therefore the most used in perfumery. They are dried and crushed before they are extracted by steam distillation for 10 to 12 hours. After the extraction, the essential oil is collected in an essencier by decantation. Yields are about 2 to 3%, which equates to 20 to 30 kg of EO per hectare. The collected water is usually distilled again afterwards.
Note that it is also possible to obtain a celery absolute by extracting the seeds with a volatile solvent.

Major Components :

D-Limonene (55-70%)
Sedanolide (15-20%)
Beta-Selinene (7-7,5%)
Pentyl Cyclohexadiene (≈3%)
Myrcene (≈3%)
Linalool (1-2%)