Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Phenyl butyrate
Phenyl butyrate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4621 (CAS 4346-18-3). Its odor is sweet, fruity, tropical, buttery, estery.
- FEMA
- 4621
- CAS
- 4346-18-3
- JECFA
- 2019
- Formula
- C10H12O2
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 24. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 4346-18-3.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Butanoic acid, phenyl ester, Butyric acid, phenyl ester, Phenyl butanoate, phenyl butanoate, butanoic acid, phenyl ester, butyric acid, phenyl ester, ai3-11761, ph ester, phenyl ethyl acetate, butanoic acid, 9ci, db-051088, en300-7815962.
Can Phenyl butyrate be labeled natural?
Nature makes phenyl butyrate, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial phenyl butyrate, 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
Phenyl butyrate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4621. 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 Phenyl butyrate. 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 2019, evaluated at the 73rd meeting in 2010. No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
Odor and taste
Odor: Sweet, fruity, tropical, buttery, estery.
Where it is used
Phenyl butyrate is used in beverage, confection, bakery, dairy and fruit flavors, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Phenyl butyrate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaiacol butyrate | 4607 | 87% | Not determined |
| Ethyl phenylacetate | 2452 | 77% | In nature |
| Ethyl benzoate | 2422 | 74% | In nature |
| Propyl phenylacetate | 2955 | 73% | In nature |
| Benzyl propionate | 2150 | 69% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Allyl phenylacetate · Benzyl formate · Crotonic acid · Methylthio 2-(propionyloxy)propionate · Sodium 2-(4-methoxyphenoxy)propanoate · Ethyl 3-octenoate
Phenyl butyrate FAQ
Does phenyl butyrate have FEMA GRAS status?
Phenyl butyrate holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 4621. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite phenyl butyrate by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite phenyl butyrate as FEMA 4621 or CAS 4346-18-3; both point to the same entry. Its flavor category is fruity.
What does phenyl butyrate smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of phenyl butyrate is sweet, fruity, tropical, buttery, estery. Typical uses are beverage, confection, bakery, dairy and fruit flavors.
What did JECFA conclude about phenyl butyrate?
JECFA evaluated phenyl butyrate at the 73rd meeting in 2010 under JECFA number 2019. The panel concluded: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Is phenyl butyrate approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for phenyl butyrate. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 2019), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Can phenyl butyrate be labeled a natural flavor?
The process decides for phenyl butyrate. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic phenyl 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.
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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 PHENYL BUTYRATE under CAS 4346-18-3 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.