Flavor ingredient regulatory record
(+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone
(+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone is a lactone in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3999 (CAS 67663-01-8). Its odor is sweet, creamy, fruity, coconut.
- FEMA
- 3999
- CAS
- 67663-01-8
- JECFA
- 1158
- EU FL
- 10.069
- Formula
- C11H20O2
- EC
- 266-847-5
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 20. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 67663-01-8.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2(3H)-Furanone, 5-hexyldihydro-4-methyl-, 5-Hexyldihydro-4-methyl-2(3H)-furanone, β-Methyl-γ-decalactone, 3-Methyl-γ-decalactone, 5-Hexyl-4-methyldihydrofuran-2(3H)-one, 5-hexyldihydro-4-methylfuran-2(3h)-one, 3-methyl-gamma-decalactone, 2(3h)-furanone, 5-hexyldihydro-4-methyl-, 3-methyl-.gamma.-decalactone, (+-)-3-methyl-gamma-decalactone, (+-)-3-methyl-.gamma.-decalactone, (+-)-3-methyl-.gamma.-decalactone [fhfi].
Can (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone be labeled natural?
The process decides for (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone is artificial. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
- 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-gamma-decalactone is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3999. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 10.069, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
Purity. At least 94% (sum of cis and trans isomers); secondary component 1-2% heptan-1-ol
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 1158, evaluated at the 61st meeting in 2003. no safety concern at current levels of intake.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 67663-01-8, where EPA names it 2(3H)-Furanone, 5-hexyldihydro-4-methyl-.
Active in US commerce
EPA designates this substance active, so no Notice of Activity Form B is required before manufacturing. What active and inactive mean.
EPA regulatory flags
| Flag | EPA definition | What it obliges |
|---|---|---|
| PMN | Indicates a commenced PMN substance. | Nothing new. The substance already went through premanufacture review and someone filed a notice of commencement, which is why it is on the Inventory. It is an existing chemical and needs no new premanufacture notice. Read more |
PMN does not establish: The flag records how the substance arrived, not what may be done with it. Check the flags beside it.
From the EPA non-confidential TSCA Inventory, July 2026 release. EPA also maintains a confidential portion it does not publish. Search the Inventory by CAS number.
Odor and taste
Odor: Sweet, creamy, fruity, coconut.
Where it is used
(+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone is used in beverage, confection, dairy and fruit flavors, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| gamma-Decalactone | 2360 | 96% | In nature |
| gamma-Nonalactone | 2781 | 92% | In nature |
| gamma-Undecalactone | 3091 | 90% | In nature |
| gamma-Dodecalactone | 2400 | 90% | In nature |
| 5-Hydroxyundecanoic acid lactone | 3294 | 89% | In nature |
More lactones in this index
Dehydromenthofurolactone · 2-(4-Methyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid-gamma-lactone · 4-Acetoxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)furanone · (+/-)-(2,6,6,-Trimethyl-2-hydroxycyclohexylidene)acetic acid gamma-lactone · 4-Hydroxybutyric acid lactone · Phthalide
(+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone FAQ
Is (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone as GRAS under FEMA number 3999. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone?
(+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone is FEMA 3999, CAS 67663-01-8. Its flavor category is fruity.
How is (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone as sweet, creamy, fruity, coconut. It is used in beverage, confection, dairy and fruit flavors.
What did JECFA conclude about (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone?
JECFA evaluated (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone at the 61st meeting in 2003 under JECFA number 1158. The panel concluded: no safety concern at current levels of intake.
Is (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone on the EU Union List?
Yes. FL 10.069 is the Union List entry for (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Does (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone count as natural in the US and the EU?
Nature makes (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone, same molecule. 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.
Ingredient lookup
Check an ingredient
Start typing to search the ingredient corpus.
Or browse every ingredient page, A to Z.
Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
Check (+/-) 3-Methyl-gamma-decalactone in a formula
Screened against FEMA GRAS, 21 CFR and EU rules as you build. Free to start.
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-GAMMA-DECALACTONE under CAS 67663-01-8 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.