Flavor ingredient regulatory record
3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid
3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid is an acid in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3870 (CAS 1460-34-0). Its odor is fruity, sweet, caramel, buttery, nutty.
- FEMA
- 3870
- CAS
- 1460-34-0
- JECFA
- 632
- Formula
- C6H10O3
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 18. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 1460-34-0.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Pentanoic acid, 3-methyl-2-oxo-, Valeric acid, 3-methyl-2-oxo-, α-Oxo-β-methylvaleric acid, α-Oxo-β-methyl-n-valeric acid, α-Keto-β-methylvaleric acid, α-keto-β-Methylvaleric acid, 2-Oxoisoleucine, 2-Oxo-3-methylvaleric acid, α-keto-β-Methyl-n-valeric acid, 3-Methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, 2-Oxo-3-methyl-n-valeric acid, DL-3-Ethyl-3-methylpyruvic acid.
Can 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid be labeled natural?
Since 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid is synthesized. In the EU and UK the natural claim likewise needs the natural route, while Mercosur and Mexico keep a third class, identical-to-natural, for the synthetic material.
- United States
- Natural or artificial, by process
- European Union and UK
- Natural only from natural material
- Mercosur and Mexico
- Natural or identical-to-natural
How each market defines the classes: natural vs artificial flavor under 21 CFR 101.22.
Regulatory status, with citations
United States
3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3870. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid. That is not a finding either way. The Union List covers defined flavouring substances, so natural complex materials are handled as flavouring preparations under Parts B to F and never receive a number, and substances used as additives sit under Regulation 1333/2008 instead. Confirm the position before EU or UK use.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 632, evaluated at the 53rd meeting in 1999. No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
Odor and taste
Odor: Fruity, sweet, caramel, buttery, nutty.
Where it is used
3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid is used in beverage, confection, flavoring, bakery and dairy, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid | 3871 | 88% | In nature |
| dl-Isoleucine | 3295 | 87% | In nature |
| 2-Methylvaleric acid | 2754 | 79% | In nature |
| 3-Methylpentanoic acid | 3437 | 79% | In nature |
| 2-Methyl-2-pentenoic acid | 3195 | 78% | In nature |
More acids in this index
4-Methylnonanoic acid · 4-Ethyloctanoic acid · Hexanoic acid · 2-Methylvaleric acid · (E)-2-Octenoic acid · cis-4-(2,2,3-Trimethylcyclopentyl)butanoic acid
3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid FAQ
Is 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid as GRAS under FEMA number 3870. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid?
3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid is FEMA 3870, CAS 1460-34-0. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Does 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid count as natural in the US and the EU?
3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid identical-to-natural.
Is 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 632), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid?
Yes. JECFA number 632, evaluated at the 53rd meeting in 1999. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe 3-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid as fruity, sweet, caramel, buttery, nutty. It is used in beverage, confection, flavoring, bakery and dairy.
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Sources and attribution. The identity and regulatory facts on this page are taken from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, a US government record, which lists this substance as 3-METHYL-2-OXOPENTANOIC ACID under CAS 1460-34-0 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavoring agent or adjuvant.
A FEMA GRAS conclusion is reached by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, and the FEMA number names that conclusion. FEMA publishes its own entry for this substance in the FEMA Flavor Library, which is the authoritative record of what the Panel decided and is worth reading alongside this page.
Ambrose Compliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FEMA. FEMA and FEMA GRAS are used here as identifiers for a published regulatory determination, not as marks of any relationship between FEMA and Ambrose.
About this page. Facts come from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, the Code of Federal Regulations, the EPA TSCA Inventory, the EU Union List, JECFA and the Ambrose database, with FEMA's published determination cited where it applies; parts of the text are written by Ambrose AI, which can make mistakes. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. This is not regulatory or legal advice.