What is E1504?

Complete guide to understanding ethyl acetate in your food

The Quick Answer

E1504 is ethyl acetate, a volatile liquid used as a flavor solvent and extraction agent in food.

It’s used to extract and concentrate natural flavors from fruits, plants, and other sources—giving foods fruity, sweet notes.

It’s a colorless liquid with a characteristic sweet, fruity smell (similar to pear drops or nail polish remover).

What Exactly Is It?

E1504 is made from ethanol (alcohol) and acetic acid.

The name comes from its chemistry: ethyl (from ethanol) + acetate (from acetic acid).

In technical terms, it’s an ester—the chemical product formed when ethanol reacts with acetic acid through a process called esterification.

Ethyl acetate is a clear, colorless, volatile liquid that evaporates quickly at room temperature.

It has a sweet, fruity aroma reminiscent of pineapple, pear, or cherry.

Despite its chemical origin, ethyl acetate is commonly found in nature—it’s present in ripe fruits and is produced during fermentation.

Where You’ll Find It

E1504 appears in foods that need fruity or sweet flavoring:

• Candy and sweets (especially fruity varieties)
• Beverages and flavored drinks
• Baked goods and pastries
• Chewing gum
• Artificial fruit flavorings
• Decaffeinated coffee and tea
• Tobacco products (for decaffeination)

You won’t find large amounts of E1504 in any single product—it’s used in tiny quantities because of its strong, concentrated flavor.

Its volatility means much of it evaporates during food processing and storage.

Why Do Food Companies Use It?

E1504 does one primary job: extract and concentrate natural and artificial flavors.

In flavor extraction: Ethyl acetate is used to pull flavor compounds, essential oils, and aromatic molecules from plant materials like fruits, spices, and flowers. This creates concentrated flavor extracts that are added to foods.

In decaffeination: Coffee and tea companies use ethyl acetate to remove caffeine from beans and leaves. The solvent dissolves caffeine without significantly affecting flavor compounds—a process that can take up to 10 hours.

As a carrier solvent: It helps dissolve and distribute flavoring agents evenly throughout foods, especially in beverages and sauces.

Why use it instead of alternatives: Ethyl acetate has low toxicity, a low cost, an agreeable smell, and evaporates quickly—making it ideal for food applications.

Without E1504, creating concentrated natural fruit flavors and decaffeinated coffee would be difficult and expensive.

Is It Safe?

E1504 is considered safe by regulatory bodies worldwide.

The FDA affirms it as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe), and it’s included on the FEMA GRAS List (Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association’s Generally Recognized As Safe list).

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) designates it as E1504 for approved use.

Maximum approved use levels in food are up to 2,302 ppm (parts per million).

Importantly, much of the ethyl acetate evaporates during food manufacturing and storage because it’s highly volatile.

Ethyl acetate is rapidly metabolized by the body into acetic acid (the same compound in vinegar) and ethanol (drinking alcohol), which are normal metabolic products.

Key safety factors:

• It doesn’t accumulate in body tissues.
• It breaks down quickly into non-toxic byproducts.
• Exposure from food is typically far below regulatory limits.
• It occurs naturally in ripe fruits and fermented products.

Natural vs Synthetic Version

E1504 is generally synthetic—manufactured in laboratories or industrial facilities.

However, it also occurs naturally in small amounts in ripe fruits, wine, beer, and fermented products.

Chemically, synthetic and natural ethyl acetate are identical—your body cannot distinguish between them.

Synthetic production is significantly cheaper than extracting natural ethyl acetate from ripe fruits.

Many flavor extracts labeled as “natural” still use ethyl acetate as the extraction solvent—making the final flavor “natural” even though the extraction process used a synthetic solvent.

Natural Alternatives

Want to avoid E1504?

For flavor extraction, companies sometimes use:

• Water or aqueous extracts: Less effective for many flavors but increasingly used
• Supercritical CO₂ extraction: Leaves no residue but is more expensive
• Ethanol extraction: Common alternative, also volatile but less sweet
• Essential oils: More expensive and more concentrated
• Whole fruit/plant ingredients: Direct use, but less shelf-stable

These alternatives work but are typically more expensive, less efficient, or require higher quantities.

So E1504 remains the industry standard for cost and performance reasons.

The Bottom Line

E1504 is a flavor extraction solvent used in tiny quantities to bring fruity and sweet notes to processed foods.

Most people consume only trace amounts, as E1504 evaporates significantly during food production and storage.

Regulatory agencies worldwide—FDA, EFSA, FEMA—consider it safe at approved levels.

It breaks down rapidly in your body into vinegar-like compounds and ethanol.

However, if you prefer to minimize synthetic additives, reading labels for “flavor solvent” or “E1504” and choosing products with whole fruit ingredients or water-based extracts can help reduce your exposure.

You have the right to know how your food is flavored and to make informed choices.