Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Dodecyl butyrate
Dodecyl butyrate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4340 (CAS 3724-61-6). Its odor is sweet, fruity, creamy, buttery, tropical.
- FEMA
- 4340
- CAS
- 3724-61-6
- JECFA
- 1877
- Formula
- C16H32O2
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 23. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 3724-61-6.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Butanoic acid, dodecyl ester, Butyric acid, dodecyl ester, n-Dodecyl butyrate, Dodecyl butanoate, NSC 57649, Lauryl butanoate, dodecyl butanoate, butanoic acid, dodecyl ester, 1-dodecanol, butanoate, n-dodecyl butyrate, lauryl butyrate, lauryl butanoate.
Can Dodecyl butyrate be labeled natural?
Dodecyl butyrate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: dodecyl butyrate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized dodecyl butyrate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic dodecyl butyrate 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
Dodecyl butyrate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4340. 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 Dodecyl butyrate. 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 1877, evaluated at the 69th meeting in 2008. 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: Sweet, fruity, creamy, buttery, tropical.
Where it is used
Dodecyl butyrate is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, dairy and desserts, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Dodecyl butyrate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butyl laurate | 2206 | 99% | In nature |
| Octyl octanoate | 2811 | 98% | In nature |
| Ethyl hexadecanoate | 2451 | 98% | In nature |
| Isopropyl myristate | 3556 | 98% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Isoamyl 2-methylbutyrate · Butyl levulinate · Tetrahydrofurfuryl cinnamate · Ethyl acrylate · Tributyl acetylcitrate · Diethyl succinate
Dodecyl butyrate FAQ
Is dodecyl butyrate on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 4340 covers dodecyl butyrate. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What is the FEMA number for dodecyl butyrate?
The FEMA number for dodecyl butyrate is 4340 and its CAS registry number is 3724-61-6. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Is dodecyl butyrate natural or artificial?
Since dodecyl butyrate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when dodecyl butyrate is synthesized. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic dodecyl butyrate identical-to-natural.
Is dodecyl butyrate approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for dodecyl butyrate. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 1877), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated dodecyl butyrate?
Yes. JECFA number 1877, evaluated at the 69th meeting in 2008. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What is dodecyl butyrate used for?
Dodecyl butyrate is described as sweet, fruity, creamy, buttery, tropical. It shows up in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, dairy and desserts.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
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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 DODECYL BUTYRATE under CAS 3724-61-6 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.