Diacetyl was always the obvious traditional choice amongst buttery notes and the need to replace it posed a dilemma. The most obvious option was acetoin, especially in the important dairy category. In some respects, acetoin was actually more authentic than diacetyl in some dairy flavors. Pentane-2,3-dione (FEMA#: 2841, CAS#: 600-14-6) was a distant second choice for dairy flavors.
Outside the dairy category things were not so clear cut. All three chemicals are clearly dominated by strong buttery notes, but pentane-2,3-dione is distinctly deeper, with a more substantive profile. This characteristic can be advantageous in savory and brown flavors.
Note that the dose rates given throughout this article are the levels suggested for use in flavors intended to be dosed at 0.05% in ready-to-drink beverages or in a simple bouillon.
Savory Flavors
Asparagus: Asparagus flavors are dominated by very volatile ingredients and pentane-2,3-dione adds depth at around 200 ppm.
Bacon: As with most savory flavors, buttery notes only play a secondary role. Five hundred ppm adds complexity and realism to bacon flavors.
Beef, Roast: One hundred ppm of this ingredient modifies the fatty note in a very attractive direction.
Chicken: The ideal level of addition of pentane-2,3-dione in chicken flavors is in the region of 100 ppm, working equally well in fried and cooked categories.
Garlic, Fried: Pentane-2,3-dione, used at around 200 ppm, adds a pleasant buttery note to fried garlic flavors.
Mushroom: Pentane-2,3-dione helps to deepen all mushroom flavors, and it is most effective in cooked and dried mushroom profiles. Five hundred ppm is a good starting point.
Onion, Fried: This ingredient contributes to the impression that the onions have been cooked in butter. Levels range from 100-200 ppm.
Pork: The ideal level of use for this raw material in pork flavors is a little lower than in bacon flavors, nearer 200 ppm. Similar, or lower, levels work well in ham flavors.
Potato: Two hundred ppm of pentane-2,3-dione add depth and complexity to all onion flavors, working equally well in boiled or fried styles.
Seafood: Seafood flavors, in general, find the addition of around one hundred ppm of pentane-2,3-dione to be beneficial. It works well in white fish, seafood and oily fish flavors.
Soy Sauce: The effect of pentane-2,3-dione in soy sauce flavors is subtle, but as little as ten ppm adds complexity.
Tomato: Pentane-2,3-dione is particularly useful in sun dried tomato flavors, adding softness and depth.
Truffle: Truffle flavors are all too often very simplistic. This ingredient, at 100 ppm, adds welcome complexity.
Venison and Lamb: Pentane-2,3-dione adds an attractive, rounding, character to lamb and venison flavors. One hundred ppm is a good use level.
Three hundred ppm of this ingredient adds depth and interesting complexity to licorice flavors.Adobe Stock
Brown Flavors
Butterscotch and Caramel: This raw material is very important in these categories of flavors and serves as a very practical alternative to diacetyl. Two thousand ppm is a reasonable starting level of addition.
Cocoa and Chocolate: Pentane-2,3-dione only makes a modest contribution to cocoa flavors, at levels in the region of 10 ppm. Chocolate flavors are a very different story and levels can range up to 200 ppm.
Coffee: The same 2,000 ppm of pentane-2,3-dione is also effective in coffee flavors, irrespective of the level of roast.
Licorice: Three hundred ppm of this ingredient adds depth and interesting complexity to licorice flavors.
Malt: Pentane-2,3-dione softens the harsh character of iso-valeraldehyde in malt flavors. Forty ppm is a good level of addition.
Maple Syrup: This ingredient subtly offsets the dominant maple lactone and sotolone notes nicely and adds complexity. One hundred ppm works well.
Sugar: Pentane-2,3-dione enhances all types of brown sugar flavors, but the ideal level varies. At the low end, raw brown sugar flavors are well served by as little as 50 ppm. At the high end, burnt sugar flavors need 400 ppm or more.
Dairy Flavors
Butter, Fresh: From the opening remarks it seems clear that I am not going to offer pentane-2,3-dione as the key buttery ingredient in fresh butter flavors. It should only be a secondary addition after acetoin, adding depth at levels in the region of 400 ppm.
Fruit Flavors
Apricot and Peach: Pentane-2,3-dione makes a great alternative to diacetyl in fruit flavors because of its deeper profile and modest fruity aspect. Fifty ppm is useful in both apricot and peach flavors.
Blackberry: Higher levels, nearer 200 ppm work well in blackberry flavors, adding considerable realism.
Fig: Fig flavors are not a major category, but they pose interesting challenges, balancing the fruit and the dried notes. Pentane-2,3-dione helps to bridge this divide at around 300 ppm.
Raspberry: Raspberry flavors are given depth and authenticity by the addition of pentane-2,3-dione. Levels vary, but 200 ppm is typical.
Strawberry: Different levels of pentane-2,3-dione apply to different strawberry flavors. One hundred ppm is great in fresh strawberry flavors, but much higher levels can work well in cooked profile flavors.
Fifty ppm is a good starting point for peanut flavors.Adobe Stock
Other Flavors
Coconut: Pentane-2,3-dione enhances attractive, creamy notes in all styles of coconut flavors. It is most useful in fresh coconut and coconut water flavors. Fifty ppm is a good starting point.
Corn: Corn flavors do not have a buttery note as their main driver, but it is still important. Levels vary, with 100 ppm working well in sweet corn flavors and 300 ppm being a better bet in toasted corn flavors.
Dough: Dough flavors are a relatively recent category. They lend themselves ideally to pentane-2,3-dione. Levels start at 3,000 ppm, but the sky’s the limit.
Hazelnut: Pentane-2,3-dione is useful in all nut flavors, but comes into its own in hazelnut flavors. Eight hundred ppm is a good starting point.
Pandan: Pandan flavors are popular in Asia, with good reason. Pentane-2,3-dione only plays an ancillary role, but it darkens the profile at around 10 ppm.
Peanut: Peanut flavors are not quite as ideally adjusted to pentane-2,3-dione, as hazelnut flavors, but it still works well. Fifty ppm is a good starting point.
Popcorn: Pentane-2,3-dione is a great foundation stone for popcorn flavors. Two thousand ppm works well.
Tequila: Tequila flavors, like most spirit flavors, need an extra degree of complexity. This ingredient adds significant interest at levels of addition around 100 ppm.
