Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Butyramide
Butyramide is an amide in the dairy family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4252 (CAS 541-35-5). Its odor is creamy, buttery, savory, slightly sweet.
- FEMA
- 4252
- CAS
- 541-35-5
- JECFA
- 1593
- Formula
- C4H9NO
- EC
- 208-776-4
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 22. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 541-35-5.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Butanamide, n-Butylamide, n-Butyramide, Butanimidic acid, NSC 8424, butanamide, n-butyramide, butanimidic acid, n-butylamide, butanoic acid, amide, n-c3h7c(o)nh2, butyrylamide.
Can Butyramide be labeled natural?
Butyramide occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: butyramide won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized butyramide is artificial. 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
Butyramide is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4252. 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 Butyramide. 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 1593, evaluated at the 65th meeting in 2005. No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Butyramide appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 541-35-5, where EPA names it Butanamide.
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: Creamy, buttery, savory, slightly sweet.
Taste: Umami, creamy, mild.
Where it is used
Butyramide is used in dairy, savory snacks, seasonings and sauces, typically as a dairy note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Butyramide by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alanine | 3252 | 94% | In nature |
| Butyric acid | 2221 | 93% | In nature |
| 2-Pentanone | 2842 | 90% | In nature |
| Butylamine | 3130 | 87% | In nature |
| Isopentylamine | 3219 | 85% | In nature |
More amides in this index
N-Cyclopropyl (E)-2,(Z)-6-nonadienamide · N1-(2-Methoxy-4-methylbenzyl)-N2-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl)oxalamide · N-3,7-Dimethyl-2,6-octadienyl cyclopropylcarboxamide · N-(2-(Pyridin-2-yl)ethyl)-3-p-menthanecarboxamide · N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)galactonamide · N-(Heptan-4-yl)benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carboxamide
Butyramide FAQ
Does butyramide have FEMA GRAS status?
Butyramide holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 4252. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite butyramide by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite butyramide as FEMA 4252 or CAS 541-35-5; both point to the same entry. FEMA files it in the dairy flavor category.
Can butyramide be labeled a natural flavor?
Since butyramide is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when butyramide 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.
Is butyramide approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for butyramide. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 1593), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated butyramide?
Yes. JECFA number 1593, evaluated at the 65th meeting in 2005. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What does butyramide smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of butyramide is creamy, buttery, savory, slightly sweet. On the palate it is umami, creamy, mild. Typical uses are dairy, savory snacks, seasonings and sauces.
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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 BUTYRAMIDE under CAS 541-35-5 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.