2-Undecanone, also known as methyl nonyl ketone, is a colorless to slightly yellow liquid with a citrus oil and rue oil-like aroma. It is naturally found in houttuynia cordata, bananas, strawberries, cloves, ginger and Rutaceae plants. The FEMA number is 3093, the FDA number is 172.515, and the CoE number is 150. It is a permitted edible flavoring in my country's GB2760-2011 and is used to prepare edible flavors. It can also be used as an intermediate in the production of flavors and in the pharmaceutical industry to produce houttuynia cordata.
Currently, 2-Undecanone on the market is mainly prepared by synthetic methods. For example, Guthzeit et al. prepared 2-Undecanone by decomposing ethyl octyl acetoacetate in potassium hydroxide ethanol solution and then heating it to lose carboxyl.
However, the synthetic method has the disadvantages of polluting the environment, the prepared product has a strong chemical smell, and the prepared flavors are not coordinated, which affects its application range in the flavor industry. Natural 2-undecanone does not have the above disadvantages and has a mellow aroma, making it the first choice for blending natural citrus flavors and milk flavors.