Aroma molecule · phenol
4-tert-butylphenol
Smells ofleather, oakmoss
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.
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- Formula
- C10H14O
- Mass
- 150.22 g/mol
- CAS
- 98-54-4
- PubChem
- 7393
- FEMA
- not listed
- Threshold
- 85,977 ppb
- Class
- phenol
- Status
- Aroma-active
01How little it takes
- in waterpapers disagree 800
ppb, log scale · tick = median of published values, bar = full range, from open-access paper tables (not reviewed)
02Where it turns up
- Herbs & spices1
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 4-tert-butylphenol smell like?
Sources describe it as leather, oakmoss.
Which foods contain 4-tert-butylphenol?
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 4-tert-butylphenol in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.
How strong is 4-tert-butylphenol?
Our working odour threshold is 85976.74 ppb, from 1 source (none by SIDA, so treat it as approximate).
Thresholds in published tables
| Medium | Median | Range | Values | Papers | Papers agree? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unstated | 800 ppb | 800–800 | 2 | 2 | yes |
| water | 800 ppb | 800–800 | 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
- medium
Is 4-tert-butylphenol 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.
4-tert-butylphenol questions
What does 4-tert-butylphenol smell like?
Sources describe 4-tert-butylphenol as leather and oakmoss.
Which foods contain 4-tert-butylphenol?
We list 1 ingredient that contain 4-tert-butylphenol.
How strong is 4-tert-butylphenol?
Our working odour threshold for 4-tert-butylphenol is 85,977 ppb.
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Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). 4-tert-butylphenol compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/4-tert-butylphenol. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compound_4_tert_butylphenol_compound_data_sheet_2026,
title = {4-tert-butylphenol compound data sheet},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/4-tert-butylphenol},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.