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Acids as Flavoring Chemicals
Volatile acids are used for flavoring purposes and must be considered when naming products. This is particularly important for “natural” compounded flavors, where the source, natural or artificial, of the acid must be noted. If you do not state explicitly that a volatile acid ingredient is natural, the TTB will assume that it is artificial. Fixed acids lack either taste or aroma and therefore are not considered flavors. The following tables list common volatile and fixed acids (acidulants).
| Volatile Acids | |
| Name | Synonym(s) |
| acetic | Ethanoic |
| butyric | |
| capric | decanoic; decylic |
| caproic | hexoic; n-hexylic; pentane-1-carboxylic |
| caprylic | C-8 acid; n-octoic; n-octylic |
| formic | |
| heptanoic | oenanthic; heptoic; enanthic;oenanthylic |
| lactic | butyl ester; butyrate; butyl butyrylactate |
| nonanoic | pelargonic; nonoic; n-nonylic; octane-1-carboxylic |
| propionic | |
| valeric | pentanoic; propylacetic |
| Volatile acids are used for flavoring purposes. | |
| Lactic acid can also be used as an acidulant. | |
| Fixed Acids | |
| Name | Synonym(s) |
| adipic | hexanedioic; 1,4-butanedicarboxylic |
| citric | 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic |
| fumaric | allomalenic; boletic; trans-butanedionic; trans-1,2-ethylenedicarboxylic |
| lactic | butyl ester; butyrate; butyl butyrylactate |
| malic | hydroxysuccinic; 2-hydroxy-1,4-butanedioic |
| succinic | butanedioic |
| tannic | tannin; gallotannic |
| tartaric | l-2,3-dihydroxybutanedioic; d-a-b-dihydroxysuccinic; l-tartaric |
| Fixed acids are considered acidulants. | |
| Lactic acid can also be used for flavoring purposes. | |