Aroma molecule
4-olide
Smells ofsweet, cooked, coconut
Found in 2 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
- —
- Mass
- —
- CAS
- —
- PubChem
- —
- FEMA
- 5004 · GRAS · verify
- Threshold
- —
- Class
- —
- Status
- Aroma-active
01How little it takes
No published odour threshold on file for 4-olide.
02Where it turns up
- Meat & fish2
of the 2 ingredients that contain it, by food group
03What it travels with
Too few ingredients to say what it travels with.
What does 4-olide smell like?
Sources describe it as sweet, cooked, coconut.
Which foods contain 4-olide?
We list 2 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 4-olide in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.
How strong is 4-olide?
We hold no published odour threshold for 4-olide, so we cannot say how little of it you could smell.
Is 4-olide safe to eat?
A substance matching this name is listed by FEMA as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as a flavoring: FEMA number 5004, published in GRAS 31. Check current FDA and EFSA guidance for your market and use level.
- FEMA number
- 5004 ? partial match
- Publication
- GRAS 31
- CAS (FEMA)
- 40556-69-2
- FEMA name
- 2-Methyloctan-4-olide
| Food category | Typical | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| beverages type i, non-alcoholic | 0.001 | 0.1 |
| beverages type ii, alcoholic | 0.001 | 0.1 |
| frozen dairy | 0.001 | 0.1 |
| imitation dairy products | 0.001 | 0.1 |
| instant coffee and tea | 0.001 | 0.1 |
| milk products | 0.1 | 1 |
| nut products | 0.1 | 1 |
| seasonings and flavors | 0.1 | 1 |
| snack foods | 0.1 | 1 |
| soups | 0.001 | 0.1 |
Typical vs maximum reported addition levels in finished food. A regulatory ceiling reference; verify against the current GRAS publication for your product category.
Source: FEMA GRAS publications 1–33. 2 related FEMA records for this name; verify the exact substance for regulatory use.
4-olide questions
What does 4-olide smell like?
Sources describe 4-olide as sweet, cooked and coconut.
Which foods contain 4-olide?
We list 2 ingredients that contain 4-olide.
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Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). 4-olide compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/4-olide. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compound_4_olide_compound_data_sheet_2026,
title = {4-olide compound data sheet},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/4-olide},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.