Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Heptanoic acid
Heptanoic acid is an acid in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3348 (CAS 111-14-8). Its odor is fatty, waxy, fruity, slightly cheesy.
- FEMA
- 3348
- CAS
- 111-14-8
- JECFA
- 96
- EU FL
- 08.028
- Formula
- C7H14O2
- EC
- 203-838-7
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 6, 7. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 111-14-8.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Enanthic acid, Enanthylic acid, n-Heptoic acid, Heptylic acid, 1-Hexanecarboxylic acid, n-Heptylic acid, Oenanthic acid, Oenanthylic acid, Heptoic acid, n-Heptanoic acid, NSC 2192, Enanthoic acid.
Can Heptanoic acid be labeled natural?
Heptanoic acid occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: heptanoic acid won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized heptanoic acid 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
Heptanoic acid is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3348. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 173.315.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 08.028, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (JECFA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 96, evaluated at the 49th meeting in 1997. no safety concern at current levels of intake.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Heptanoic acid appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 111-14-8, where EPA names it Heptanoic acid.
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: Fatty, waxy, fruity, slightly cheesy.
Taste: Fatty, sour, slightly sweet.
Where it is used
Heptanoic acid is used in dairy, confection, savory dishes and flavoring agents, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Heptanoic acid by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hept-2-enoic acid | 3920 | 94% | In nature |
| 2-Methylheptanoic acid | 2706 | 92% | In nature |
| Octanoic acid | 2799 | 92% | In nature |
| (E)-2-Octenoic acid | 3957 | 82% | In nature |
| 3-Octenoic acid | 4362 | 80% | In nature |
More acids in this index
3-Methyl-2-oxobutanoic acid · (E,E)-2,4-Hexadienoic acid · Methyl-3-pentenoic acid · 4-Methyl-2-oxopentanoic acid · 2-Hydroxybenzoic acid · 2-Methylheptanoic acid
Heptanoic acid FAQ
Is heptanoic acid FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists heptanoic acid as GRAS under FEMA number 3348. It is also codified at 21 CFR 173.315.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for heptanoic acid?
Heptanoic acid is FEMA 3348, CAS 111-14-8. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Does heptanoic acid count as natural in the US and the EU?
Since heptanoic acid is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when heptanoic acid is synthesized. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
Is heptanoic acid on the EU Union List?
Heptanoic acid is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 08.028 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated heptanoic acid?
Yes. JECFA number 96, evaluated at the 49th meeting in 1997. Conclusion: no safety concern at current levels of intake.
How is heptanoic acid described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe heptanoic acid as fatty, waxy, fruity, slightly cheesy. On the palate it is fatty, sour, slightly sweet. It is used in dairy, confection, savory dishes and flavoring agents.
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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 HEPTANOIC ACID under CAS 111-14-8 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 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.