Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Tridecanoic acid
Tridecanoic acid is an acid in the dairy family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4336 (CAS 638-53-9). Its odor is creamy, fatty, slightly sour, milky.
- FEMA
- 4336
- CAS
- 638-53-9
- JECFA
- 2302
- Formula
- C13H26O2
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 23. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 638-53-9.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: n-Tridecoic acid, Tridecylic acid, n-Tridecanoic acid, NSC 25955, NSC 69131, n-tridecanoic acid, tridecylic acid, n-tridecoic acid, tridecanoicacid, fa 13:0, tridecanoic acid, >=98%, wln: qv12.
Can Tridecanoic acid be labeled natural?
Tridecanoic acid occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: tridecanoic acid won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized tridecanoic acid 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
Tridecanoic acid is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4336. 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 Tridecanoic acid. 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 2302, evaluated at the 97th meeting in 2023. no safety concern at current levels of intake.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Tridecanoic acid appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 638-53-9, where EPA names it Tridecanoic acid.
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: Creamy, fatty, slightly sour, milky.
Taste: Rich, creamy, slightly tangy.
Where it is used
Tridecanoic acid is used in dairy, cheese, flavoring and bakery, typically as a dairy note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Tridecanoic acid by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myristic acid | 2764 | 99% | In nature |
| Lauric acid | 2614 | 99% | In nature |
| Pentadecanoic acid | 4334 | 98% | In nature |
| Undecanoic acid | 3245 | 96% | In nature |
| Palmitic acid | 2832 | 95% | In nature |
More acids in this index
Pentadecanoic acid · Isobutyric acid · Butyric acid · Decanoic acid · l-Glutamic acid · 5-Oxodecanoic acid
Tridecanoic acid FAQ
Does tridecanoic acid have FEMA GRAS status?
Tridecanoic acid holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 4336. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite tridecanoic acid by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite tridecanoic acid as FEMA 4336 or CAS 638-53-9; both point to the same entry. FEMA files it in the dairy flavor category.
Can tridecanoic acid be labeled a natural flavor?
Since tridecanoic acid is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when tridecanoic acid is synthesized. 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.
Is tridecanoic acid approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for tridecanoic acid. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 2302), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated tridecanoic acid?
Yes. JECFA number 2302, evaluated at the 97th meeting in 2023. Conclusion: no safety concern at current levels of intake.
What does tridecanoic acid smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of tridecanoic acid is creamy, fatty, slightly sour, milky. On the palate it is rich, creamy, slightly tangy. Typical uses are dairy, cheese, flavoring and bakery.
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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 TRIDECANOIC ACID under CAS 638-53-9 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.