Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Ethyl butyrate
Ethyl butyrate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2427 (CAS 105-54-4). Its odor is fruity, pineapple, banana, ethereal, tutti-frutti.
- FEMA
- 2427
- CAS
- 105-54-4
- JECFA
- 29
- EU FL
- 09.039
- Formula
- C6H12O2
- EC
- 203-306-4
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 105-54-4.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Butanoic acid, ethyl ester, Butyric acid, ethyl ester, Butyric acid, ester with EtOH, Ethyl butanoate, Ethyl n-butyrate, Ethyl n-butanoate, NSC 8857, ethyl butanoate, butyric acid ethyl ester, ethyl n-butyrate, butanoic acid, ethyl ester, ethyl n-butanoate.
Can Ethyl butyrate be labeled natural?
The process decides for ethyl butyrate. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic ethyl butyrate 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
Ethyl butyrate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2427. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 182.60.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.039, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (JECFA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 29, evaluated at the 11th meeting in 1967. ADI 0 to 15 mg/kg body weight.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list. Listed on the EPA TSCA inventory.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Ethyl butyrate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 105-54-4, where EPA names it Butanoic acid, ethyl ester.
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, pineapple, banana, ethereal, tutti-frutti.
Taste: Pineapple, fruity, juicy, tropical.
Where it is used
Ethyl butyrate is used in pineapple, tropical, fruit punch and confection, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Ethyl butyrate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Hepten-4-one | 3399 | 91% | In nature |
| Ethyl 2-(methylthio)acetate | 3835 | 85% | In nature |
More esters in this index
l-Menthyl butyrate · Ethyl undecanoate · Isoamyl laurate · Ethyl 3-(furfurylthio)propionate · 2-Acetoxy-3-butanone · Isoamyl acetate
Ethyl butyrate FAQ
Is ethyl butyrate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists ethyl butyrate as GRAS under FEMA number 2427. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 182.60.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for ethyl butyrate?
Ethyl butyrate is FEMA 2427, CAS 105-54-4. Its flavor category is fruity.
How is ethyl butyrate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe ethyl butyrate as fruity, pineapple, banana, ethereal, tutti-frutti. On the palate it is pineapple, fruity, juicy, tropical. It is used in pineapple, tropical, fruit punch and confection.
What did JECFA conclude about ethyl butyrate?
JECFA evaluated ethyl butyrate at the 11th meeting in 1967 under JECFA number 29.
Is ethyl butyrate on the EU Union List?
Yes. FL 09.039 is the Union List entry for ethyl butyrate, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Does ethyl butyrate count as natural in the US and the EU?
Nature makes ethyl butyrate, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial ethyl butyrate, 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 Ethyl butyrate 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 ETHYL BUTYRATE under CAS 105-54-4 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number and its 21 CFR citations. 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.