Flavor ingredient regulatory record
3-Octenoic acid
3-Octenoic acid is an acid in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4362 (CAS 1577-19-1). Its odor is fruity, green, slightly fatty, waxy.
- FEMA
- 4362
- CAS
- 1577-19-1
- JECFA
- 1627
- Formula
- C8H14O2
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 23. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 1577-19-1.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Heptene-1-carboxylic acid, Δ3-Octenoic acid, 2-heptene-1-carboxylic acid, oct-3-enoicacid.
Can 3-Octenoic acid be labeled natural?
Since 3-Octenoic 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-Octenoic 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-Octenoic acid is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4362. 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-Octenoic 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 1627, evaluated at the 64th meeting in 2005. 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-Octenoic acid appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 1577-19-1, where EPA names it 3-Octenoic acid.
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 publishes no regulatory flags on this listing. What the flags mean.
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: Fruity, green, slightly fatty, waxy.
Where it is used
3-Octenoic acid is used in beverage, confection, savory dishes and snack foods, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to 3-Octenoic acid by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| trans-4-Octenoic acid | 4357 | 98% | In nature |
| (E)-2-Octenoic acid | 3957 | 98% | In nature |
| cis-5-Octenoic acid | 4350 | 96% | In nature |
| Hept-2-enoic acid | 3920 | 87% | In nature |
| 4-Decenoic Acid | 3914 | 86% | In nature |
More acids in this index
3-Oxooctanoic acid glyceride · (E,E)-2,4-Hexadienoic acid · 5-Oxooctanoic acid · (E)-2-Pentenoic acid · 3,7-Dimethyl-6-octenoic acid · Isovaleric acid
3-Octenoic acid FAQ
Is 3-Octenoic acid FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists 3-Octenoic acid as GRAS under FEMA number 4362. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for 3-Octenoic acid?
3-Octenoic acid is FEMA 4362, CAS 1577-19-1. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Does 3-Octenoic acid count as natural in the US and the EU?
3-Octenoic acid occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: 3-Octenoic acid won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized 3-Octenoic acid is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic 3-Octenoic acid identical-to-natural.
Is 3-Octenoic acid approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for 3-Octenoic acid. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 1627), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated 3-Octenoic acid?
Yes. JECFA number 1627, evaluated at the 64th meeting in 2005. Conclusion: no safety concern at current levels of intake.
How is 3-Octenoic acid described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe 3-Octenoic acid as fruity, green, slightly fatty, waxy. It is used in beverage, confection, savory dishes and snack foods.
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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-OCTENOIC ACID under CAS 1577-19-1 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.