Celery seed CO2 extract

Fresh celery, lemon peel, green leaf, then warm and sweet, close to vegetable broth and lovage. A tenacious drydown with hints of tobacco and hay that far outlasts the top.

Celery has no dedicated standard in the IFRA 51 index. Limonene, the main constituent of the volatile fraction, falls under an IFRA specification on peroxide value and is an EU-labelled allergen above 0.001 percent in leave-on or 0.01 percent in rinse-off products.

The celery plant contains furocoumarins. A total extract takes up less volatile compounds as well, so a furocoumarin analysis is needed for use on sun-exposed skin. Store dark, sealed and cool; limonene oxidises readily.

Celery belongs to the carrot family. The seeds used as spice are in fact small dry fruits with oil ducts along the husk. India is a large exporter of celery seed, grown in Punjab and Haryana; China and France also produce.

Celery odour does not come mainly from limonene, even though limonene makes up most of the volatile fraction. Phthalides, especially 3-n-butylphthalide and sedanenolide, have very low odour thresholds and carry the typical celery character. They are less volatile than limonene, so the celery note lasts on a blotter.

A total CO2 extract also takes the fatty oil of the seed, mainly triglycerides rich in petroselinic acid, a fatty acid typical of the carrot family. The product is therefore thicker and holds a larger share of phthalides than the distilled oil. A German CO2 producer lists this extract for flavour and fragrance use.

In flavours celery seed extract seasons soups, sauces and meat. In perfumery it is used at trace level: phthalides add warmth and roundness to tobacco, hay, woody and some white floral accords. At high dose the vegetable note takes over.

Quality depends on seed freshness, growing region and extraction conditions.