Molecular structure
acetoin
Cooking relevance
3-hydroxybutan-2-one (acetoin, PubChem CID 179) is a minor volatile organic compound that can form during fermentation and heating of carbohydrates and proteins. Its presence is typically masked by dominant flavor compounds in most culinary contexts.
- aroma
- buttery · slightly sweet · fermented note
- culinary role
- trace volatile in fermented and heated foods
- mass spectra
- 11 experimental spectra
Mass spectrum
A real measured fragmentation pattern · 1 of 11 experimental spectra
Sensory signature
How this molecule tastes and smells · gold is measured, dashed is a model estimate
Biochemical reactions
Metabolic reactions from curated biochemical databases · peer-reviewed
aldehydo-D-ribose 5-phosphate + acetoin = 1-deoxy-D-altro-heptulose 7-phosphate + acetaldehyde
acetoin + NAD(+) + CoA = acetaldehyde + acetyl-CoA + NADH + H(+)
acetoin + NADP(+) = diacetyl + NADPH + H(+)
2 acetaldehyde = acetoin
acetaldehyde + pyruvate + H(+) = acetoin + CO2
Research papers
44 peer-reviewed papers reference this compound · top-cited shown
Foods containing this compound
Verified Data
Compound identity and culinary context are continuously cross-referenced across open scientific databases and maintained by Foodgeist's enrichment pipeline.
The Geist can be wrong. Some flavor, taste, and pairing values are model-predicted, not lab-measured.





























