Aroma molecule · thiol
3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol
Smells ofmeat broth
Found in 6 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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01How little it takes
- in water 1.4
- in a food 3
- in oilpapers disagree 4
ppb, log scale · tick = median of published values, bar = full range, from open-access paper tables (not reviewed)
02Where it turns up
- Drinks5
- Fruit1
of the 6 ingredients that contain it, by food group
03What it travels with
line weight = ingredients carrying both, of 6 · only molecules found with it at least 1.5× as often as across all foods
What does 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol smell like?
Sources describe it as meat broth.
How this molecule is described
Also filed as: 3-mercapto-3-methylbutan-1-ol — same molecule, unified here.
- meat broth shown above Flavornet Cas
- onion-like FlavorDB 2.0, Flavordb Odor Column 2 sources agree
- meat broth, roasted, spicy, sweet, vegetable FlavorDB 2.0
- meat broth, roasted, spicy, sweet, vegetable, meatbroth FlavorDB 2.0
Ordered by how many independent descriptor streams give each wording, then by how often it appears. The bar is replication (one source copied onto many ingredients scores high), not corroboration.
Which foods contain 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol?
We list 6 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 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.
How strong is 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol?
Our working odour threshold is 17.5 ppb, from 1 source (none by SIDA, so treat it as approximate).
Thresholds in published tables
| Medium | Median | Range | Values | Papers | Papers agree? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| air | 2.05 µg/L air | 1.3–2.8 | 2 | 1 | one paper |
| food matrix | 3 ppb | 2–4 | 2 | 2 | yes |
| oil | 4 ppb | 4–4 | 1 | 1 | one paper |
| unstated | 4 ppb | 4–4 | 1 | 1 | one paper |
| water | 1.4 ppb | 1.3–1.5 | 2 | 2 | yes |
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 6 ingredients that carry 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol, 6 also carry benzaldehyde, 6 furfural and 6 linalool. These are the most frequent companions among molecules that turn up with 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol 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 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol safe to eat?
3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol is listed by FEMA as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as a flavoring: FEMA number 3854, published in GRAS 18. Check current FDA and EFSA guidance for your market and use level.
- FEMA number
- 3854 ✓ exact match
- Publication
- GRAS 18
- FEMA name
- 3-MERCAPTO-3-METHYL-1-BUTANOL
Use-level matrix not extracted for this substance; check the source publication for current ppm guidance.
Source: FEMA GRAS publications 1–33.
3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol questions
What does 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol smell like?
Sources describe 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol as meat broth.
Which foods contain 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol?
We list 6 ingredients that contain 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol.
How strong is 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol?
Our working odour threshold for 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol is 17.5 ppb. Published values in oil are about 3 times higher than in water.
What molecules are found with 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol?
The molecules most often found in the same ingredients are benzaldehyde, furfural, linalool and phenethyl acetate.
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Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compound_3_mercapto_3_methyl_1_butanol_compound_data_sheet_2026,
title = {3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol compound data sheet},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.