Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Methyl linolenate
Methyl linolenate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3411 (CAS 301-00-8). Its odor is sweet, fruity, green apple, berry, estery.
- FEMA
- 3411
- CAS
- 301-00-8
- JECFA
- 346
- Formula
- C19H32O2
- EC
- 206-102-3
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 7. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 977136-80-3.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic acid, methyl ester, (9Z,12Z,15Z)-, Linolenic acid, methyl ester, 9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic acid, methyl ester, (Z,Z,Z)-, Methyl all-cis-9,12,15-octadecatrienoate, α-Linolenic acid methyl ester, Methyl (9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadecatrienoate, Methyl α-linolenate, Methyl cis,cis,cis-octadeca-9,12,15-trienoate, 9Z,12Z,15Z-Octadecatrienoic acid methyl ester, (Z,Z,Z)-9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic acid methyl ester, Methyl (9Z,12Z,15Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrienoate, Methyl (Z,Z,Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrienoate.
Can Methyl linolenate be labeled natural?
The process decides for methyl linolenate. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic methyl linolenate 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
Methyl linolenate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3411. 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 Methyl linolenate. 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 346, 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. Methyl linolenate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 301-00-8, where EPA names it 9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic acid, methyl ester, (9Z,12Z,15Z)-.
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, fruity, green apple, berry, estery.
Where it is used
Methyl linolenate is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, bakery and dairy, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Methyl linolenate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linoleic and linolenic acid | 3380 | 94% | In nature |
| Oleic acid | 2815 | 90% | In nature |
| Octadec-9-enal | 4059 | 90% | In nature |
| Butyl stearate | 2214 | 89% | In nature |
| Ethyl hexadecanoate | 2451 | 88% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Butyl butyryllactate · Rum ether · Butyl laurate · Yuzunone · 3-n-Butylphthalide · 1-Isobutoxy-1-ethoxyethane
Methyl linolenate FAQ
Is methyl linolenate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists methyl linolenate as GRAS under FEMA number 3411. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for methyl linolenate?
Methyl linolenate is FEMA 3411, CAS 301-00-8. Its flavor category is fruity.
How is methyl linolenate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe methyl linolenate as sweet, fruity, green apple, berry, estery. It is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, bakery and dairy.
What did JECFA conclude about methyl linolenate?
JECFA evaluated methyl linolenate at the 51st meeting in 1998 under JECFA number 346. The panel concluded: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Is methyl linolenate approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for methyl linolenate. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 346), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Does methyl linolenate count as natural in the US and the EU?
Nature makes methyl linolenate, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial methyl linolenate, 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 Methyl linolenate 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 METHYL LINOLEATE (48%) METHYL LINOLENATE (52%) MIXTURE under CAS 977136-80-3 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavor enhancer, 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.