Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Pyrrolidine
Pyrrolidine is an amine in the earthy family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3523 (CAS 123-75-1). Its odor is earthy, musty, green, slightly sweet.
- FEMA
- 3523
- CAS
- 123-75-1
- JECFA
- 1609
- EU FL
- 14.064
- Formula
- C4H9N
- EC
- 204-648-7
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 10. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 123-75-1.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Azacyclopentane, Prolamine, Pyrrole, tetrahydro-, Tetrahydropyrrole, Tetramethylenimine, Pyrrolidine ring, Butylenimine, Azolidine, Perhydropyrrole, NSC 62781, 9: PN: WO2017048620 SEQID: 14 claimed sequence, tetrahydropyrrole.
Can Pyrrolidine be labeled natural?
The process decides for pyrrolidine. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic pyrrolidine 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
Pyrrolidine is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3523. 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 14.064, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 1609, evaluated at the 65th meeting in 2005. 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. Pyrrolidine appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 123-75-1, where EPA names it Pyrrolidine.
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: Earthy, musty, green, slightly sweet.
Where it is used
Pyrrolidine is used in savory dishes, seasoning blends, meat products and snack foods, typically as a earthy note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Pyrrolidine by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Pyrroline | 3898 | 90% | In nature |
| Piperidine | 2908 | 88% | In nature |
| Piperazine | 4250 | 84% | In nature |
| 4,5-Dihydro-3(2H) thiophenone | 3266 | 78% | In nature |
| 2-Methylpiperidine | 4244 | 75% | In nature |
More amines in this index
sec-Butylamine · Isopropylamine · Ethylamine · Triethylamine · Propylamine · Butylamine
Pyrrolidine FAQ
Does pyrrolidine have FEMA GRAS status?
Pyrrolidine holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 3523. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite pyrrolidine by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite pyrrolidine as FEMA 3523 or CAS 123-75-1; both point to the same entry. Its flavor category is earthy.
What does pyrrolidine smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of pyrrolidine is earthy, musty, green, slightly sweet. Typical uses are savory dishes, seasoning blends, meat products and snack foods.
What did JECFA conclude about pyrrolidine?
JECFA evaluated pyrrolidine at the 65th meeting in 2005 under JECFA number 1609. The panel concluded: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Can pyrrolidine be used in the EU and UK?
Yes. FL 14.064 is the Union List entry for pyrrolidine, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Can pyrrolidine be labeled a natural flavor?
Nature makes pyrrolidine, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial pyrrolidine, same molecule. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic pyrrolidine identical-to-natural.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
Check Pyrrolidine in a formula
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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 PYRROLIDINE under CAS 123-75-1 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.