Aroma molecule · acid
2-/3-methylbutanoic acid
Smells ofsweaty
Found in 1 ingredient. We hold no measured concentration for it in any of them yet, so we cannot say where it is strong enough to smell.
Working on a formulation or a product line? This compound data is available by API for R&D teams.
- Formula
- —
- Mass
- —
- CAS
- —
- PubChem
- —
- FEMA
- not listed
- Threshold
- —
- Class
- acid
- Status
- Aroma-active
01How little it takes
- in waterpapers disagree 490
ppb, log scale · tick = median of published values, bar = full range, from open-access paper tables (not reviewed)
02Where it turns up
- Drinks1
of the 1 ingredient that contain it, by food group
03What it travels with
Too few ingredients to say what it travels with.
What does 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid smell like?
Sources describe it as sweaty.
Which foods contain 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid?
We list 1 ingredient that contain it, but presence is not the same as smell. What matters is how much is there compared with how little it takes to notice it. That ratio is the odour activity value (OAV): above 1, you can smell it.
Found in
Measured foods first, then real food profiles, then thin or composite records (marked). The figure beside each is how many compounds that ingredient has in total, not the amount of 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.
How strong is 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid?
We hold no published odour threshold for 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid, so we cannot say how little of it you could smell.
Thresholds in published tables
| Medium | Median | Range | Values | Papers | Papers agree? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| water | 490 ppb | 490–490 | 1 | 1 | one paper |
Numbers printed in open-access papers, grouped by the medium the table states. Median and full range; “agree” means two or more papers whose middle 80% of values sit within 100×. Not reviewed.
- Retention index
- 1268
Is 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid safe to eat?
Not in FEMA GRAS publications 1–33. Of 3,367 listed flavoring substances, none match this compound or its other names. It may still be food-safe under other regulatory routes (FDA 21 CFR 172, EFSA, JECFA); check femaflavor.org for the authoritative current list.
2-/3-methylbutanoic acid questions
What does 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid smell like?
Sources describe 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid as sweaty.
Which foods contain 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid?
We list 1 ingredient that contain 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid.
Look up another compound — search by name, CAS number, PubChem CID, or FEMA #.
Get a molecule-level pairing breakdown each week — which ingredients share a compound, and why it matters at the table. Free, no spam.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
Try the pairing tools to see which ingredient combinations rely on 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid, or compare two ingredients side by side.
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). 2-/3-methylbutanoic acid compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/2-/3-methylbutanoic%20acid. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compound_2_3_methylbutanoic_acid_compound_data_sheet_2026,
title = {2-/3-methylbutanoic acid compound data sheet},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/2-/3-methylbutanoic%20acid},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.