Menthyl Isovalerate
Menthyl Isovalerate is a colourless to pale yellow liquid with a soft minty aroma carrying a warm, creamy, slightly fruity undertone.
The compound has the molecular formula C₁₅H₂₈O₂ and CAS number 16409-46-4. It is the menthol ester of isovaleric acid and is used for its gentle cooling and mint-modifying properties in flavour and pharmaceutical applications.
We source bulk Menthyl Isovalerate from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Anhui. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Packaging
- 25 kg galvanised drum, nitrogen blanketed
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Colourless to pale yellow clear liquid |
| Odour | Soft minty with warm, creamy, slightly fruity undertone |
| Assay (GC) | ≥ 98.0% |
| Ester Content (as C₁₅H₂₈O₂, saponification) | ≥ 97.0% |
| Free Menthol | ≤ 0.5% |
| Specific Gravity (25°C) | 0.895-0.910 |
| Refractive Index (20°C) | 1.443-1.452 |
| Optical Rotation (20°C) | -72° to -58° |
| Acid Value | ≤ 1.0 mg KOH/g |
| Colour (APHA) | ≤ 30 |
| Water (Karl Fischer) | ≤ 0.2% |
| Solubility in Ethanol | 1 volume in 1 volume of 95% ethanol, clear |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Arsenic (as As) | ≤ 3 mg/kg |
| Shelf Life | 24 months unopened, stored cool, dark and tightly sealed |
Common Markets Grades
The trade splits Menthyl Isovalerate into two main qualities.
The flavour grade carries a minimum assay of 98 percent and meets the Food Chemicals Codex monograph. Specifications include free menthol content (typically below 0.5 percent), acid value, optical rotation, and colour in APHA units.
A pharmaceutical grade conforming to the European Pharmacopoeia monograph for Validol is produced for use in cardiovascular preparations in Eastern European and Asian markets. This grade is built from L-menthol and carries tighter limits on optical rotation, related esters, and residual solvents.
The material is normally packaged in lined steel drums or amber glass for the pharmaceutical grade.
Applications
- Mint flavour systems where a softer, creamier cooling profile is wanted
- Confectionery applications including hard candy, chewy candy, and lozenges
- Chewing gum compositions for prolonged, gentle cooling
- Toothpaste, mouthwash, and oral-care formulations
- Throat lozenges and cough drops for soothing cooling
- Cardiovascular sedative preparations under the Validol designation
- Topical analgesic creams, balms, and ointments
- Aftershave and shaving cream formulations
- Liqueur and after-dinner spirit flavour compositions
- Tobacco flavour blends as a smooth menthol modifier
- Personal-care products including lip balm and deodorant
- Fine fragrance for fresh, minty top-note effects
China Manufacturers of Menthyl Isovalerate
Top Menthyl Isovalerate manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
How We Help Source Menthyl Isovalerate
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Menthyl Isovalerate out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Menthyl Isovalerate together with other ingredients such as Capsicum Oleoresin, Ethyl Maltol and White Pepper into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
Menthyl Isovalerate is accepted as a flavouring substance and as a pharmaceutical active in major regulated markets.
FEMA has assigned GRAS number 2668 for use as a flavour in food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits the substance as a synthetic flavouring agent under 21 CFR 172.515.
The European Food Safety Authority evaluated the molecule as part of flavouring group FGE.41 and concluded that no safety concern arises at current intake levels. It carries FL number 09.776 in the Union list of flavourings.
As a pharmaceutical active under the trade name Validol, the substance is monographed in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation and in several other Eastern European pharmacopoeias. It is sold as a sublingual preparation for mild angina and motion sickness in those markets.
Japan permits the molecule under its flavour regulation. JECFA reviewed the substance in the menthol ester group and raised no objection.
Manufacturing Process
Menthyl Isovalerate is produced by esterification of menthol with isovaleric acid.
The classical route uses isovaleric acid chloride or isovaleric anhydride with L-menthol in the presence of a tertiary amine base such as pyridine. This route gives high yield and minimal racemization but generates stoichiometric salt waste.
The preferred modern route is direct esterification with mineral acid catalysis under azeotropic dehydration. Care is taken with temperature and acid concentration to avoid menthol dehydration to menthene, which would lower yield and complicate purification.
An enzymatic route using immobilized lipase on bio-derived menthol and isovaleric acid is used for natural-grade material destined for natural-flavoured confectionery and oral care.
The crude ester is washed, neutralised, dried, and fractionally distilled under reduced pressure. The pharmaceutical grade undergoes an additional polishing step to meet Validol specifications.
