Aroma molecule · acid
2-/3-methylbutyric acid
Smells ofsweaty, rancid
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.
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- Formula
- —
- Mass
- —
- CAS
- —
- PubChem
- —
- FEMA
- not listed
- Threshold
- —
- Class
- acid
- Status
- Aroma-active
01How little it takes
No published odour threshold on file for 2-/3-methylbutyric acid.
02Where it turns up
- Grains, nuts & fats1
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-methylbutyric acid smell like?
Sources describe it as sweaty, rancid.
Which foods contain 2-/3-methylbutyric 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-methylbutyric acid in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.
How strong is 2-/3-methylbutyric acid?
We hold no published odour threshold for 2-/3-methylbutyric acid, so we cannot say how little of it you could smell.
Is 2-/3-methylbutyric 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-methylbutyric acid questions
What does 2-/3-methylbutyric acid smell like?
Sources describe 2-/3-methylbutyric acid as sweaty and rancid.
Which foods contain 2-/3-methylbutyric acid?
We list 1 ingredient that contain 2-/3-methylbutyric acid.
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Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). 2-/3-methylbutyric acid compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/2-/3-methylbutyric%20acid. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compound_2_3_methylbutyric_acid_compound_data_sheet_2026,
title = {2-/3-methylbutyric acid compound data sheet},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/2-/3-methylbutyric%20acid},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.