Molecule · ketone
2-methyl-4-heptanone
Found in 27 ingredients. 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
- C8H16O
- Mass
- 128.21 g/mol
- CAS
- 626-33-5
- PubChem
- 69378
- FEMA
- not listed
- Threshold
- 100 ppb
- Class
- ketone
- Status
- —
01How little it takes
No published odour threshold on file for 2-methyl-4-heptanone.
02Where it turns up
- Meat & fish27
of the 27 ingredients that contain it, by food group
03What it travels with
line weight = ingredients carrying both, of 27 · only molecules found with it at least 1.5× as often as across all foods
What does 2-methyl-4-heptanone smell like?
We hold no odour description for 2-methyl-4-heptanone.
Which foods contain 2-methyl-4-heptanone?
We list 27 ingredients 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-methyl-4-heptanone in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.
How strong is 2-methyl-4-heptanone?
Our working odour threshold is 100.0 ppb. Varies by food: 0.1–100 ppb; the figure is the lowest of those.
Thresholds in published tables
| Medium | Median | Range | Values | Papers | Papers agree? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| air | 41 µg/L air | 41–41 | 3 | 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.
- Volatility
- high
What is it found with?
Of the 27 ingredients that carry 2-methyl-4-heptanone, 27 also carry (e)-2-hexenoic acid, 27 (e)-2-octenoic acid and 27 1,2-benzenediol. These are the most frequent companions among molecules that turn up with 2-methyl-4-heptanone at least 1.5 times as often as they do across all foods; the very common molecules found nearly everywhere are left out because they say nothing about it.
Is 2-methyl-4-heptanone 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.
See all 27 ingredients with Pro
The free page shows the first 8. The inverted compound index is a Pro feature: reverse-search any of 5,139 flavor molecules across the full graph.
2-methyl-4-heptanone questions
Which foods contain 2-methyl-4-heptanone?
We list 27 ingredients that contain 2-methyl-4-heptanone.
How strong is 2-methyl-4-heptanone?
Our working odour threshold for 2-methyl-4-heptanone is 100 ppb.
What molecules are found with 2-methyl-4-heptanone?
The molecules most often found in the same ingredients are (e)-2-hexenoic acid, (e)-2-octenoic acid, 1,2-benzenediol and 1-heptanol.
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Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). 2-methyl-4-heptanone compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/2-methyl-4-heptanone. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compound_2_methyl_4_heptanone_compound_data_sheet_2026,
title = {2-methyl-4-heptanone compound data sheet},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/2-methyl-4-heptanone},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.