Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Dehydrodihydroionone
Dehydrodihydroionone is a ketone in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3447 (CAS 20483-36-7). Its odor is sweet, fruity, floral, honey, creamy.
- FEMA
- 3447
- CAS
- 20483-36-7
- JECFA
- 396
- EU FL
- 07.115
- Formula
- C13H20O
- EC
- 243-847-3
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 9. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 20483-36-7.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Butanone, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadien-1-yl)-, 4-(2,6,6-Trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadien-1-yl)-2-butanone, Dihydrodehydro-β-ionone, 7,8-Dihydro-3,4-dehydro-β-ionone, 4-(2,6,6-Trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-dienyl)butan-2-one, 3,4-Didehydro-7,8-dihydro-β-ionone, dihydrodehydro-beta-ionone, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadien-1-yl)-2-butanone, 4-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-dien-1-yl)butan-2-one, 2-butanone, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadien-1-yl)-, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadien-1-yl)butan-2-one, 4-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-dienyl)butan-2-one.
Can Dehydrodihydroionone be labeled natural?
The process decides for dehydrodihydroionone. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic dehydrodihydroionone 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
Dehydrodihydroionone is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3447. 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 07.115, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (JECFA). The UK retains the same list.
Purity. At least 70%; secondary component 25-27% tetrahydroionone
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 396, evaluated at the 51st meeting in 1998. 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. Dehydrodihydroionone appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 20483-36-7, where EPA names it 2-Butanone, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadien-1-yl)-.
Inactive in US commerce
EPA designates this substance inactive, so a Notice of Activity Form B is required before anyone manufactures or processes it again. Being FEMA GRAS does not change that. 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: Sweet, fruity, floral, honey, creamy.
Where it is used
Dehydrodihydroionone 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 Dehydrodihydroionone by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| beta-Ionone | 2595 | 98% | In nature |
| Dihydro-alpha-ionone | 3628 | 97% | In nature |
| alpha-Ionone | 2594 | 97% | In nature |
| Dihydro-beta-ionone | 3626 | 95% | In nature |
| Ionone | 3175 | 89% | In nature |
More ketones in this index
2-Methoxyacetophenone · 1,1'-(Tetrahydro-6a-hydroxy-2,3a,5-trimethylfuro[2,3-d]-1,3-dioxole-2,5-diyl)bis-ethanone · Cyclohexanone · 1-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-4-methyl-1-penten-3-one · 4-Phenyl-3-buten-2-one · 6-Undecanone
Dehydrodihydroionone FAQ
Is dehydrodihydroionone FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists dehydrodihydroionone as GRAS under FEMA number 3447. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for dehydrodihydroionone?
Dehydrodihydroionone is FEMA 3447, CAS 20483-36-7. Its flavor category is fruity.
How is dehydrodihydroionone described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe dehydrodihydroionone as sweet, fruity, floral, honey, creamy. It is used in beverage, confection, flavoring, bakery and dairy.
What did JECFA conclude about dehydrodihydroionone?
JECFA evaluated dehydrodihydroionone at the 51st meeting in 1998 under JECFA number 396. The panel concluded: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Is dehydrodihydroionone on the EU Union List?
Yes. FL 07.115 is the Union List entry for dehydrodihydroionone, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Does dehydrodihydroionone count as natural in the US and the EU?
Nature makes dehydrodihydroionone, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial dehydrodihydroionone, 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.
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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 DEHYDRODIHYDROIONONE under CAS 20483-36-7 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.