A process for the preparation of phthalides from celery seed oil

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of phthalides from celery seed oil. Celery (Apium graveolens L. var. dulce [Mill.] Pers.), a herb, grown as a biennial or as an annual, is cultivated as a popular vegetable, for the green and blanched leaf stalks and to a limited extent for the edible thickened roots and crowns. The essential oil of celery seed includes d-limonene (> 60%), selinene (10-20) and pthalides (1-4%). The pthalides are reported as 3-n-butyl phthalide, sedanenolide and sedanolide. The phthalide enriched nutraceutical fraction in highly concentrated form (> 95 %) from celery seed oil is obtained using a simple, yet effective and selective solvent -solvent partition followed by further purification by fractional distillation under reduced pressure.