Introduction

Celery
    Family : Apiaceae / Umbelliferae
    English name: Celery
    Indian name : Shalari, Ajmud (Hindi), Bandhuri,Chanu (Bengali), Bodiajmoda (Gujarati), Ajmoda (Marathi), Kernauli (Punjabi), Ajamoda (Sanskrit), Ajmoda (Tamil)
    Species : Apium graveolens Linn. Apium graveolens var. rapaceum (Mill), Apium graveolens var. secalinum and smallage
    Distribution : India, Algeria, Asia, Baluchistan, Belgium, the Caucasus, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Sweden, UK, USA
    Uses : Culinary, Drugs, Flavouring, Food, Perfumery
  • The dried fruit of Apium graveolens Linn. (2n=22) (Family: Apiaceae; Umbelliferae) is known as celery. It is popularly known as Karnauli or Ajmod. There are four known horticultural types of celery. A. graveolens var.dulce (Mill) Pers., whose leaves and stalks are consumed as salad, appetizer and as a flavouring in soups; and var. rapaceum (Mill) Gaudich commonly called celeriac, w`ith dark green leaves is cultivated for root tubers which are cooked and eaten.
  • The other two are var. secalinum and smallage. The main variety cultivated in India is dulce. Commercially celery is available as celery seeds, celery flakes, vegetable, celery seed oil and celery seed oleoresin. The celery seed has the following quality characteristics; moisture-5-11%, volatile oil-1.5-3, (average 2.4%), non-volatile ether extract-5.8-14.2% (average 9-4%), cold water extract-5.9-12.6% (average 8.4%), total ash-6.9-11.0% (average 8.8%), ash insoluble in acid-0.5-4.0% (average 2.5%). Fresh celery leaves and stalk are used as a salad plant.
  • They contain moisture-81.3, 93.5 per cent, protein-6.0, 0.8 per cent; fat-0.6, 0.1 per cent, fibre-1.4, 1.2 per cent, carbohydrates-8.6, 3.5 per cent, mineral matter-2.1, 0.9 per cent, calcium-0.23, 0.3 per cent, phosphorus-0.14, 0.4 per cent, Iron-0.06, 0.05 per cent, vit A-5800, 7500, I.U., vit B1 — traces, vit C-62,6 mg/100 g calorific value; 64,18, calories per 100 g. The seeds on steam distillation yield a pale yellow essential oil (1.75%) which contains limonene (80%) as a major constituent.
  • The other constituents of the oil are: p-dimethyl styrene, n-pentyl benzene, caryophyllene, selinene, n-butyl phthalide and sedanolide along with sabinene, [3-elemne, trans-1,2-epoxy limonene, linalool, isovaleric acid, cis-dihydrocarvone, trans-dihydrocarvone, terpinene-4-ol, cis-p-menth¬2,8-dien-1-ol, trans-p-menth-2,8-dien-1-ol, terpineol, carvone, trans-cal veol, cis-carveol, tans-anethole, trans-p-menth-1(7), 8-dien-2-ol, perillaldehyde and thymol. The seeds are also rich in vitamin B.
  • The dried ripe seeds are used as spice to flavour food and liquids. The seeds are stimulating and carminative, used as a nerve tonic in domestic medicine. It is also a remedy for rheumatism. The seed oil is used as a food flavourant, and in perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. The fatty oil obtained from the fruit is used as an anti¬spasmodic and nerve stimulant.
Last modified: Monday, 18 June 2012, 9:59 AM