Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Tridecanal
Tridecanal is an aldehyde in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4335 (CAS 10486-19-8). Its odor is sweet, fruity, fatty, waxy, green.
- FEMA
- 4335
- CAS
- 10486-19-8
- JECFA
- 2301
- Formula
- C13H26O
- EC
- 234-004-0
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 23. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 10486-19-8.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Tridecyl aldehyde, n-Tridecylaldehyde, Tridecanaldehyde, n-Tridecanal, Aldehyde 13-13, tridecyl aldehyde, 1-tridecanal, n-tridecanal, tridecanaldehyde, n-tridecylaldehyde, tridecane aldehyde, tridecanal [fhfi].
Can Tridecanal be labeled natural?
The process decides for tridecanal. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic tridecanal 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
Tridecanal is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4335. 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 Tridecanal. 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 2301, evaluated at the 97th meeting in 2023. 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. Tridecanal appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 10486-19-8, where EPA names it Tridecanal.
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, fatty, waxy, green.
Taste: Fatty, mild, slightly sweet.
Where it is used
Tridecanal 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 Tridecanal by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myristaldehyde | 2763 | 99% | In nature |
| Lauric aldehyde | 2615 | 99% | In nature |
| Undecanal | 3092 | 96% | In nature |
| (E)-Tetradec-2-enal | 4209 | 96% | In nature |
| 12-Methyltridecanal | 4005 | 95% | In nature |
More aldehydes in this index
p-Tolylacetaldehyde · (+/-)-4-Ethyloctanal · Tolualdehyde glyceryl acetal · cis-6-Nonenal · 4-Methyl-2-pentenal · 2-(p-Tolyl)propionaldehyde
Tridecanal FAQ
Is tridecanal FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists tridecanal as GRAS under FEMA number 4335. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for tridecanal?
Tridecanal is FEMA 4335, CAS 10486-19-8. Its flavor category is fruity.
How is tridecanal described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe tridecanal as sweet, fruity, fatty, waxy, green. On the palate it is fatty, mild, slightly sweet. It is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, bakery and dairy.
What did JECFA conclude about tridecanal?
JECFA evaluated tridecanal at the 97th meeting in 2023 under JECFA number 2301. The panel concluded: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Is tridecanal approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for tridecanal. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 2301), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Does tridecanal count as natural in the US and the EU?
Nature makes tridecanal, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial tridecanal, 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.
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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 TRIDECANAL under CAS 10486-19-8 and carries its FEMA 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.