ethyl phenylacetate

480 µg per capsule

“Honey, like sweet mead or sherry”

Certified cider flavour standard used to train professional beer tasters to recognize and scale the intensity of honey character. Ethyl phenylacetate is produced by yeast during maturation. At low concentrations the compound imparts a pleasant sweet honey-like note to cider. At higher concentrations the flavour resembles that of mead or sweet sherry.

Food grade | free from sensory impurities | extensively tested | safe to smell and taste.

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Flavour standard information

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Technical specification

Assessment

The best way for tasters to evaluate honey flavour in cider is as follows. Cover the sample with your hand and swirl the glass to release the aroma. Remove your hand and take a single long sniff. Repeat as necessary.

Amount of flavour per capsule

480 µg per capsule

Threshold

160 µg / l in cider

Origins

Ethyl phenylacetate is produced in cider from phenolic precursor by yeast during maturation. Concentrations of ethyl phenylacetate may increase after packaging as a result of non-enzymic reactions.

Importance

At low concentrations ethyl phenylacetate imparts a pleasant sweet, ‘honey-like’ note to cider. At higher concentrations the flavour of ethyl phenylacetate is reminiscent of mead or sherry.

CAS registry number

The CAS registry number for ethyl phenylacetate is 101-97-3.

Other names

benzene acetic acid ethyl ester
ethyl 2-phenyl ethanoate
ethyl 2-phenylacetate
ethyl alpha-toluate
ethyl benzene acetate
ethyl phenyl ethanoate
phenyl acetic acid ethyl ester
alpha- toluic acid ethyl ester

Remarks

Ethyl phenylacetate is responsible for the sweet, honey-like note found in top class sweet white wines. This flavour is slow to develop on the palate.

Threshold distribution