Ethyl formate in food: ingestion safety
Moderate risk(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Safety profile for Ethyl formate relevant to people.
What is ethyl formate?
The IUPAC name is ethyl methanoate.
Also known as: ethyl methanoate, Areginal, Formic acid, ethyl ester, Ethyl formic ester.
- IUPAC name
- ethyl methanoate
- CAS number
- 109-94-4
- Molecular formula
- C3H6O2
- Molecular weight
- 74.08 g/mol
- SMILES
- CCOC=O
- PubChem CID
- 8025
Risk for people
Moderate riskRegulatory consensus
3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Ethyl formate. The classifications differ — that's the data.
| Agency | Year | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDA | — | — | |
| ECHA | — | — | |
| EU | — | — |
Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.
Where you encounter ethyl formate
- fruits
- rum flavoring
- food flavoring
- beverages
- confections
Safer alternatives
Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Ethyl formate:
-
Ethyl acetate (natural, from fermentation)
Trade-offs: Different flavor profile (more nail-polish-like at high levels). Lower boiling point.Relative cost: Similar
Frequently asked questions
What products contain ethyl formate?
Ethyl formate appears in: fruits; rum flavoring; food flavoring.
See Ethyl formate in the food app
Look up products containing ethyl formate, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.
Open in food View raw API dataSources (1)
- ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 109-94-4 — reference
Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →