Methyl Acetoacetate
Methyl Acetoacetate is a clear, colourless liquid with a mild fruity odour that recalls green apple and slightly fermented pear. It is the methyl analogue of ethyl acetoacetate and serves both as a flavour material and as a synthetic intermediate.
The compound has the molecular formula C₅H₈O₃ and CAS number 105-45-3. As a β-ketoester it exists in keto and enol tautomeric forms, with the keto form making up roughly 92 percent of the equilibrium at ambient temperature.
We source bulk Methyl Acetoacetate from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Zhejiang. 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
- 250 kg plastic drum or 1,000 kg IBC tote
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
Grades / Types Available: First grade, Qualified grade
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear colorless liquid |
| Odor | Fruity, pleasant, estery |
| Assay (GC) | ≥ 99.0% |
| Density (20°C) | 1.073–1.080 g/mL |
| Refractive Index (20°C) | 1.416–1.420 |
| Boiling Point | 169–172°C |
| Acidity (as acetic acid) | ≤ 0.2% |
| Moisture | ≤ 0.2% |
| Color (APHA) | ≤ 30 |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Assay/% | ≥99.0 |
| Water/% | ≤0.1 |
Common Markets Grades
Methyl Acetoacetate sells in two main commercial qualities.
Technical grade at 98 percent minimum assay is the standard grade for chemical synthesis, agrochemical intermediates, and dye production.
FCC and FEMA flavour grade is graded to a minimum 99 percent assay with controls on residual moisture, free acid, and colour. This grade meets the Food Chemicals Codex specification and is the standard quality for flavour and fragrance compounding.
Drum and IBC packaging are both routine. Kosher and Halal certifications exist on request.
Applications
- Apple, pear, and quince flavour accords for beverages, candy, and baked goods
- Berry compositions where a soft fruity sweetener note is wanted
- Fermented and aged fruit flavours including cider, wine, and rum profiles
- Dairy flavours for fruit-blended yogurt, ice cream, and milk drinks
- Chocolate and cocoa flavour systems as a top-note enhancer
- Tobacco flavour blends as a fruity sweetener modifier
- Starting material for pyrazolone yellow dyes and azo pigment intermediates
- Synthesis of agrochemicals including triazine herbicides and pyrazole fungicides
- Pharmaceutical intermediate for analgesics and antimicrobial drug substances
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine) synthesis as a key precursor
- Knoevenagel condensation substrate in fine chemical synthesis
- Hantzsch dihydropyridine synthesis for laboratory and pilot work
China Manufacturers of Methyl Acetoacetate
Top Methyl Acetoacetate 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 Methyl Acetoacetate
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 Methyl Acetoacetate 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 Methyl Acetoacetate 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
Methyl Acetoacetate is broadly accepted as a flavouring substance.
FEMA has assigned GRAS number 2411 for use as a flavour in food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits its use as a synthetic flavouring substance under 21 CFR 172.515.
The European Food Safety Authority reviewed the substance within flavouring group FGE.10 and found no safety concern at current dietary exposure levels. It carries FL number 09.611 in the Union list of flavourings.
Japan and the Council of Europe permit the substance under their flavour frameworks. JECFA evaluated the compound under the simple aliphatic esters group and raised no objection to its use as a flavour.
The major analytical houses produce reference standards for chromatographic identification.
Manufacturing Process
The dominant industrial route is the methanolysis of diketene.
Diketene is generated by the gas-phase dimerization of ketene, which itself comes from the pyrolysis of acetic acid or acetone. The diketene stream is then reacted with anhydrous methanol in the presence of a basic catalyst at moderate temperature. The reaction is fast, clean, and gives methyl acetoacetate in better than 95 percent yield.
An older route based on the Claisen self-condensation of methyl acetate with sodium methoxide is still used at small scale but has largely been displaced by the diketene route.
Crude product is fractionated under reduced pressure to remove methanol, light esters, and high-boiling tars, then polished to flavour grade in a final distillation column. Lonza, Eastman, and several Asian producers operate the largest plants.
