Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Methyl nicotinate
Methyl nicotinate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3709 (CAS 93-60-7). Its odor is sweet, fruity, floral, herbaceous, slightly spicy.
- FEMA
- 3709
- CAS
- 93-60-7
- JECFA
- 1320
- EU FL
- 14.071
- Formula
- C7H7NO2
- EC
- 202-261-8
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 13. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 93-60-7.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, methyl ester, Nicotinic acid, methyl ester, Nicometh, 3-(Carbomethoxy)pyridine, Methyl 3-pyridinecarboxylate, 3-(Methoxycarbonyl)pyridine, m-(Methoxycarbonyl)pyridine, NSC 13126, NSC 403799, methyl pyridine-3-carboxylate, methylnicotinate, methyl-nicotinate.
Can Methyl nicotinate be labeled natural?
Nature makes methyl nicotinate, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial methyl nicotinate, same molecule. 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 nicotinate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3709. 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 14.071, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 1320, evaluated at the 63rd meeting in 2004. 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 nicotinate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 93-60-7, where EPA names it 3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, methyl 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: Sweet, fruity, floral, herbaceous, slightly spicy.
Where it is used
Methyl nicotinate is used in beverage, confection, flavoring agents, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Methyl nicotinate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methyl benzoate | 2683 | 90% | In nature |
| Methyl salicylate | 2745 | 81% | In nature |
| 1-Phenyl-1,2-propanedione | 3226 | 70% | In nature |
| 2-Methoxypyridine | 4639 | 70% | Not determined |
| 2-Ethoxy-3-methylpyrazine | 3569 | 65% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Methyl anthranilate · Propyl phenylacetate · Piperonyl acetate · Isoamyl benzoate · Ethyl hexadecanoate · Propyl cinnamate
Methyl nicotinate FAQ
Does methyl nicotinate have FEMA GRAS status?
Methyl nicotinate holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 3709. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite methyl nicotinate by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite methyl nicotinate as FEMA 3709 or CAS 93-60-7; both point to the same entry. Its flavor category is fruity.
What does methyl nicotinate smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of methyl nicotinate is sweet, fruity, floral, herbaceous, slightly spicy. Typical uses are beverage, confection, flavoring agents, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
What did JECFA conclude about methyl nicotinate?
JECFA evaluated methyl nicotinate at the 63rd meeting in 2004 under JECFA number 1320. The panel concluded: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Can methyl nicotinate be used in the EU and UK?
Yes. FL 14.071 is the Union List entry for methyl nicotinate, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Can methyl nicotinate be labeled a natural flavor?
The process decides for methyl nicotinate. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic methyl nicotinate is artificial. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material 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 METHYL NICOTINATE under CAS 93-60-7 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.