Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Ethyl maltol
Ethyl maltol is a pyranone in the sweet family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3487 (CAS 4940-11-8). Its odor is sweet, caramel, fruity, cotton candy, stronger than maltol.
- FEMA
- 3487
- CAS
- 4940-11-8
- JECFA
- 1481
- EU FL
- 07.047
- Formula
- C7H8O3
- EC
- 225-582-5
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 10. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 4940-11-8.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 4H-Pyran-4-one, 2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-, 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one, 2-Ethylpyromeconic acid, 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-1,4-pyrone, 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-4-pyrone, 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-γ-pyrone, 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyrone, Veltol plus, NSC 638851, 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxypyran-4-one, 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-pyran-4-one, 2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4h-pyran-4-one.
Can Ethyl maltol be labeled natural?
The process decides for ethyl maltol. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic ethyl maltol 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
Ethyl maltol is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3487. 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 07.047, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 1481, evaluated at the 18th meeting in 1974. ADI 0 to 2 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 maltol appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 4940-11-8, where EPA names it 4H-Pyran-4-one, 2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-.
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: Sweet, caramel, fruity, cotton candy, stronger than maltol.
Taste: Intensely sweet, caramel, strawberry jam notes.
Where it is used
Ethyl maltol is used in sweetness enhancer, confection and fruit flavors, typically as a sweet note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Ethyl maltol by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaiacol | 2532 | 85% | In nature |
| Maltol | 2656 | 77% | In nature |
| 5-Methylfurfuryl alcohol | 4544 | 72% | In nature |
| 2-Ethyl-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone | 3623 | 69% | In nature |
| 5-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone | 3153 | 69% | In nature |
More pyranones in this index
Ethyl maltol FAQ
Does ethyl maltol have FEMA GRAS status?
Ethyl maltol holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 3487. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite ethyl maltol by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite ethyl maltol as FEMA 3487 or CAS 4940-11-8; both point to the same entry. Its flavor category is sweet.
What does ethyl maltol smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of ethyl maltol is sweet, caramel, fruity, cotton candy, stronger than maltol. On the palate it is intensely sweet, caramel, strawberry jam notes. Typical uses are sweetness enhancer, confection and fruit flavors.
What did JECFA conclude about ethyl maltol?
JECFA evaluated ethyl maltol at the 18th meeting in 1974 under JECFA number 1481.
Can ethyl maltol be used in the EU and UK?
Yes. FL 07.047 is the Union List entry for ethyl maltol, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Can ethyl maltol be labeled a natural flavor?
Nature makes ethyl maltol, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial ethyl maltol, same molecule. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic ethyl maltol identical-to-natural.
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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 ETHYL MALTOL under CAS 4940-11-8 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 color or coloring adjunct, flavoring agent or adjuvant, processing aid.
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.