334 Handbook of herbs and spices
18.8.5 Adulteration
Celery seed is available both in whole or in ground form. It is subject to adulteration
by the addition of exhausted or spent seed (from which oil or oleoresin has been
extracted), excess stems, chaff and earth or dust, etc. Ground celery is sometimes
adulterated with farinaceous products, linseed meal, worthless vegetable seeds or at
times even with weed seeds. Samples of celery seed are sometimes adulterated with
ajowan seeds and because of a similarity in seed shape it becomes difficult to detect.
Celery seed oil is also frequently adulterated with celery chaff oil or with d-limonene,
the addition of which is difficult to detect. Filth, such as insect fragments, rodent
droppings and fungal spores are an indication of poor handling and storage. Heavy
metals and chemical residues from pesticides represent another adulteration problem
but are generally found in very low levels in celery and its extractives. The oleoresin
may be adulterated by added synthetic saturated acid. Detection of these adulterants
can be achieved by sophisticated gas chromatography of the saponified extract or by
thin layer chromatography coupled with HPLC. Celery seed oil contains b-selinene
as one of the important components and a good quality oil should contain a minimum
of 7–7.5 % b-selinene (Straus and Wolstromer, 1979). Oil containing less than 7.0%
b-selinene should be suspected as being adulterated. Adulteration levels can be detected
by using the specifications as explained separately for whole seed, powdered seed,
volatile oil and oleoresins.
18.9 References.......................................................................................
ANON. (1975) Spices open new mill. Food Process. Ind. 44(529): 36.
BAHL BK, VASHISTHA VN and ATA L CK (1977) Cultivation of celery seed in India, In: Cultivation and
utilization of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (eds Atal CK and Kapoor BM), Regional Research
Laboratory, Jammu, p 324.
BAINS DS, MAHAJAN VP and RANDHAWA GS (1977) Agronomic investigation on the seed crop of celery.
In: Cultivation and utilization of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (eds Atal CK and Kapoor BM),
Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu, p 330.
Table 18.9 Physiochemical properties of volatile oil of celery
Properties Specification values
Singhal et al., (1997) Bahl et al., (1982) ISI SpecificationColour and Pale yellow Pale yellow Pale yellow to light
appearance brown liquid, some-
times pale green
Specific gravity 0.872–0.891 0.850–0.895 0.8710–0.9100
(15^ ∞C) (20^ ∞C) (27 ∞C)
Refractive index 1.480–1.484 1.478–1.486 1.4765–1.4865
(at 20^ ∞C)
Optical rotation +65∞ 53 ¢ to 76∞ 5 ¢ +65∞ 82 ¢ +50∞ 80 ¢
(at 20∞C)
Solubility Saponification – –
characteristic number 25.1–47.6
Acid value – 15 to 40 3.5 (maximum)
Odour – Spicy Persistent, spicy and
typical of celery seed