Aroma molecule · acid
3-methyl-2-butenoic acid
Smells ofalcohol, green, phenolic, dairy
Found in 28 ingredients. 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
- C5H8O2
- Mass
- 100.12 g/mol
- CAS
- 541-47-9
- PubChem
- 10931
- FEMA
- not listed
- Threshold
- 14,000 ppb
- Class
- acid
- Status
- Aroma-active
01How little it takes
No published odour threshold on file for 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid.
02Where it turns up
- Meat & fish27
- Fruit1
of the 28 ingredients that contain it, by food group
03What it travels with
line weight = ingredients carrying both, of 28 · only molecules found with it at least 1.5× as often as across all foods
What does 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid smell like?
Sources describe it as alcohol, green, phenolic, dairy.
Which foods contain 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid?
We list 28 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-methyl-2-butenoic acid in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.
How strong is 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid?
Our working odour threshold is 14000.0 ppb, from 1 source (none by SIDA, so treat it as approximate).
Thresholds in published tables
| Medium | Median | Range | Values | Papers | Papers agree? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| air | 1.4e+04 µg/L air | 1.4e+04–1.4e+04 | 3 | 1 | one paper |
| unstated | 1.4e+04 ppb | 1.4e+04–1.4e+04 | 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.
- Volatility
- high
- Retention index
- 1774
What is it found with?
Of the 28 ingredients that carry 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid, 28 also carry 1,2-benzenediol, 28 1-heptanol and 28 1-hexanol. These are the most frequent companions among molecules that turn up with 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid 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-methyl-2-butenoic 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.
See all 28 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.
3-methyl-2-butenoic acid questions
What does 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid smell like?
Sources describe 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid as alcohol, green, phenolic and dairy.
Which foods contain 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid?
We list 28 ingredients that contain 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid.
How strong is 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid?
Our working odour threshold for 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid is 14,000 ppb.
What molecules are found with 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid?
The molecules most often found in the same ingredients are 1,2-benzenediol, 1-heptanol, 1-hexanol and 1-hydroxy-2-propanone.
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Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). 3-methyl-2-butenoic acid compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/3-methyl-2-butenoic%20acid. Accessed 2026-11-05.
@misc{compkitchen_compound_3_methyl_2_butenoic_acid_compound_data_sheet_2026,
title = {3-methyl-2-butenoic acid compound data sheet},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/3-methyl-2-butenoic%20acid},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-05}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.