Ethyl maltol
4940-11-8 · 2-Ethyl pyromeconic acid · 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyrone · 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one · 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one, 99% · 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one; Ethyl maltol · 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-pyran-4-one · 2-ethyl-3-hydroxypyran-4-one · 2-Ethylpyromeconic acid · 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-.gamma.-pyrone · 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-1,4-pyrone · 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-4-pyrone · 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-4-pyrone11/8/40 · 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-4H-pyran-4-one · 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-gamma-pyrone · 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-laquo gammaRaquo -pyrone · 4H-PYRAN-4-ONE, 2-ETHYL-3-HYDROXY- · 5-18-01-00135 (Beilstein Handbook Reference) · 6-ethyl-3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one · BRN 1618110 · Ethyl Hydroxypyrone · ETHYL MALTOL · Ethyl maltol (Standard) · Ethyl maltol Solution in Methanol, 1000ug/mL · Ethyl maltol Solution in Methanol, 100ug/mL · Ethyl maltol, >=99%, FCC, FG · Ethyl maltol, analytical standard · Ethyl maltol, Pharmaceutical Secondary Standard; Certified Reference Material · Ethyl maltol, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Reference Standard · Ethylmaltol · FEMA 3487 · FEMA No. 3487 · INS NO.637 · INS-637 · Maltol-ethyl · Veltol plus · E637 · 637 · 2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-oneINS 637CAS 4940-11-8
Listed as a colour, a flavour enhancer and a flavouring agent by the US and Codex.
Listed as colours (US) · flavour enhancers (Codex) · flavouring agents and adjuvants (US) · processing aids (US)
- United States: Color or coloring adjunct — FDA, Substances Added to Food: ETHYL MALTOL
- Codex Alimentarius: Flavour enhancer — CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 637
- United States: Flavoring agent or adjuvant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: ETHYL MALTOL
- United States: Processing aid — FDA, Substances Added to Food: ETHYL MALTOL
Ethyl maltol is maltol's stronger sibling — several times more potent, with a caramel and candyfloss character. Unlike maltol it does not occur in nature at all.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | Permitted, with conditions | 2 food categories highest permitted level 100 mg/kg Show every food category
| Food Standards Code, Schedule 15, S15—5and 1 further provisionretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| Canada | No listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here. | ||
| European Union | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Permitted, with conditions | Named in the list of synthetic flavoring substances and adjuvants in 21 CFR 172.515(b), which may be safely used in food in the minimum quantity required to produce their intended effect. The section is held on this site as the page synthetic-flavoring-substances-and-adjuvants; read it for the conditions. | 21 CFR 172.515retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Codex Alimentarius | Permitted, with conditions | 5 food categories highest permitted level 1,000 mg/kg Show every food category and its notes
| CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 637and 4 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07 |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Australia and New Zealand | 100 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit, 1 GMP |
|---|---|---|
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| Codex Alimentarius | 200 mg/kg – 1,000 mg/kg | 4 numeric limit, 1 GMP |
What it is made from
Produced by chemical synthesis.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 4940-11-8
- InChIKey
- YIKYNHJUKRTCJL-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- PubChem
- CID 21059
How JECFA defines it
The international specification for identity and purity, prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and published by FAO. It is a different document from any above, written by a different body and revised on its own cycle; it is advisory, and a country adopts it or does not.
INS 637 Ethyl Maltol
Ethyl maltol is obtained by chemical synthesis
Synonyms: INS No. 637
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- Prepared at the 68 th JECFA (2007) and published in FAO JECFA Monographs 4 (2007), superseding tentative specifications prepared at the 65 th JECFA (2005) and published in the Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications , FAO JECFA Monographs 1 (2005). An ADI of 0-2 mg/kg bw was established at the 18 th JECFA (1974).
- Chemical names
- 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyrone
- C.A.S. number
- 4940-11-8
- Chemical formula
- C7H8O3
- Formula weight
- 140.14
- Assay
- Not less than 99.0%, calculated on the anhydrous basis
- DESCRIPTION
- White, crystalline powder with a sweet, fruit-like aroma
- FUNCTIONAL USES
- Flavour enhancer, flavouring agent (see 'Flavouring agents' monograph No. 1481)
- METHOD OF ASSAY
- Standard solution Transfer about 50 mg of Ethyl Maltol Reference Standard (available from the United States Pharmacopoeia, 12601 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD 20852, USA), or equivalent, accurately weighed, into a 250-ml volumetric flask, dilute to volume with 0.1 N hydrochloric acid, and mix. Pipet 5 ml of this solution into a 100-ml volumetric flask, dilute to volume with 0.1 N hydrochloric acid, and mix. Sample solution Transfer about 50 mg of the sample, accurately weighed, into a 250-ml volumetric flask, dilute to volume with 0.1 N hydrochloric acid, and mix. Pipet 5 ml of this solution into a 100-ml volumetric flask, dilute to volume with 0.1 N hydrochloric acid, and mix. Procedure Determine the absorbance of each solution in a 1-cm quartz cell at the absorption maximum (about 276 nm) using 0.1 N hydrochloric acid as the blank. Calculate the percent of Ethyl maltol in the sample by the formula: % of Ethyl maltol = 100 x WS x AA / (AS x WA ) where AA is the absorbance of the sample solution AS is the absorbance of the standard solution WA is the weight in mg of the sample in the sample solution WS is the weight in mg of the reference standard in the standard solution
Identification
- Solubility (Vol.4)
- Sparingly soluble in water; soluble in ethanol and in propylene glycol
- Melting range (Vol. 4)
- 89 - 93 o
- Ultraviolet absorption (Vol. 4)
- The ultraviolet spectrum of a 10 mg/l solution of the sample in 0.1 N hydrochloric acid shows an absorption maximum at about 276 nm
Purity criteria
- Water (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 0.5% (Karl Fischer method)
- Sulfated ash (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 0.2% (use 5 g sample)
- Lead (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 1 mg/kg Determine using an AAS/ICP-AES technique appropriate to the specified level. The selection of sample size and method of sample preparation may be based on the principles of the methods described in Volume 4 under “General Methods, Metallic Impurities”.
Every name it appears under
39 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E637
INS number
- 637
CAS registry number
- 4940-11-8
Other names
- 2-Ethyl pyromeconic acid
- 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyrone
- 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one
- 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one, 99%
- 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one; Ethyl maltol
- 2-Ethyl-3-hydroxy-pyran-4-one
- 2-ethyl-3-hydroxypyran-4-one
- 2-Ethylpyromeconic acid
- 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-.gamma.-pyrone
- 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-1,4-pyrone
- 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-4-pyrone
- 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-4-pyrone11/8/40
- 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-4H-pyran-4-one
- 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-gamma-pyrone
- 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-laquo gammaRaquo -pyrone
- 4H-PYRAN-4-ONE, 2-ETHYL-3-HYDROXY-
- 5-18-01-00135 (Beilstein Handbook Reference)
- 6-ethyl-3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one
- BRN 1618110
- Ethyl Hydroxypyrone
- ETHYL MALTOL
- Ethyl maltol (Standard)
- Ethyl maltol Solution in Methanol, 1000ug/mL
- Ethyl maltol Solution in Methanol, 100ug/mL
- Ethyl maltol, >=99%, FCC, FG
- Ethyl maltol, analytical standard
- Ethyl maltol, Pharmaceutical Secondary Standard; Certified Reference Material
- Ethyl maltol, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Reference Standard
- Ethylmaltol
- FEMA 3487
- FEMA No. 3487
- INS NO.637
- INS-637
- Maltol-ethyl
- Veltol plus
Systematic names
- 2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one
Hazard reference values
| Type | Value | Population | Assessed by | Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADI | 2 mg/kg bw/day | — | JECFA | 2005 |
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is INS 637?
- INS 637 is Ethyl maltol. Ethyl maltol is maltol's stronger sibling — several times more potent, with a caramel and candyfloss character. Unlike maltol it does not occur in nature at all.
- What is Ethyl maltol used for in food?
- It is listed as a colour, a flavour enhancer and a flavouring agent — the role the US and Codex assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Ethyl maltol banned in Europe?
- No. Ethyl maltol does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
- Where is Ethyl maltol permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Australia and New Zealand, the US and the Codex standard permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Ethyl maltol vegan?
- Yes. Ethyl maltol is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- anz retrieved 2026-10-17
- us-listings retrieved 2026-10-18
- gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
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