Molecule · lactone
3-butylidenephthalide
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.
01How little it takes
No published odour threshold on file for 3-butylidenephthalide.
02Where it turns up
- Fruit1
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 3-butylidenephthalide smell like?
We hold no odour description for 3-butylidenephthalide.
Which foods contain 3-butylidenephthalide?
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 3-butylidenephthalide in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.
How strong is 3-butylidenephthalide?
We hold no published odour threshold for 3-butylidenephthalide, so we cannot say how little of it you could smell.
- Volatility
- medium
Is 3-butylidenephthalide safe to eat?
3-butylidenephthalide is listed by FEMA as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as a flavoring: FEMA number 3333, published in GRAS 6. Check current FDA and EFSA guidance for your market and use level.
- FEMA number
- 3333 ✓ exact match
- Publication
- GRAS 6
- FEMA name
- 3-BUTYLIDENEPHTHALIDE
Use-level matrix not extracted for this substance; check the source publication for current ppm guidance.
Source: FEMA GRAS publications 1–33.
3-butylidenephthalide questions
Which foods contain 3-butylidenephthalide?
We list 1 ingredient that contain 3-butylidenephthalide.
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 3-butylidenephthalide, or compare two ingredients side by side.
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). 3-butylidenephthalide compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/3-butylidenephthalide. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compound_3_butylidenephthalide_compound_data_sheet_2026,
title = {3-butylidenephthalide compound data sheet},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/3-butylidenephthalide},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.