Aroma molecule · ketone
5-methyl-3-heptanone
Smells ofherbal sweet oily
Found in 5 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
- C8H16O
- Mass
- 128.21 g/mol
- CAS
- 541-85-5
- PubChem
- 7822
- FEMA
- not listed
- Threshold
- 58 ppb
- Class
- ketone
- Status
- Aroma-active
01How little it takes
No published odour threshold on file for 5-methyl-3-heptanone.
02Where it turns up
- Fruit2
- Herbs & spices2
- Vegetables1
of the 5 ingredients that contain it, by food group
03What it travels with
line weight = ingredients carrying both, of 5 · only molecules found with it at least 1.5× as often as across all foods
What does 5-methyl-3-heptanone smell like?
Sources describe it as herbal sweet oily.
Which foods contain 5-methyl-3-heptanone?
We list 5 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 5-methyl-3-heptanone in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.
How strong is 5-methyl-3-heptanone?
Our working odour threshold is 57.98 ppb, from 1 source (none by SIDA, so treat it as approximate).
Thresholds in published tables
| Medium | Median | Range | Values | Papers | Papers agree? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| air | 5900 µg/L air | 5.9e+03–5.9e+03 | 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
- 965
What is it found with?
Of the 5 ingredients that carry 5-methyl-3-heptanone, 5 also carry (+)-delta-cadinene, 5 (+)-neomenthol and 5 (-)-matairesinol. These are the most frequent companions among molecules that turn up with 5-methyl-3-heptanone 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 5-methyl-3-heptanone 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.
5-methyl-3-heptanone questions
What does 5-methyl-3-heptanone smell like?
Sources describe 5-methyl-3-heptanone as herbal sweet oily.
Which foods contain 5-methyl-3-heptanone?
We list 5 ingredients that contain 5-methyl-3-heptanone.
How strong is 5-methyl-3-heptanone?
Our working odour threshold for 5-methyl-3-heptanone is 58 ppb.
What molecules are found with 5-methyl-3-heptanone?
The molecules most often found in the same ingredients are (+)-delta-cadinene, (+)-neomenthol, (-)-matairesinol and (e)-β-farnesene.
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Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). 5-methyl-3-heptanone compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/5-methyl-3-heptanone. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compound_5_methyl_3_heptanone_compound_data_sheet_2026,
title = {5-methyl-3-heptanone compound data sheet},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/5-methyl-3-heptanone},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.