Compounds · Esters · Anthranilate pathway
Methyl anthranilate
Orange blossom with grape, sweet and slightly powdery. This is the faint floral note at the end of the breath of ripe kumquat.
- CAS
- 134-19-0
- Formula
- C8H9NO2
- Molar mass
- 151.16
- Odour threshold
- —
- Boiling point
- ≈ 256 °C at atmospheric pressure
Volatility
150 °C290 °C
Where it comes from
Biosynthetic pathway: Anthranilate pathway — the sister branch of the phenylpropanoids, and the one that carries nitrogen.
The plant makes this compound by attaching a methyl group to anthranilic acid. Anthranilic acid sits at the fork between the two branches of the shikimate pathway, and it is where nitrogen is brought into the aromatic ring.
Why it sits where it does
A nitrogen-containing aromatic ester, strongly polar, so it boils high and stays much longer than the fast-leaving peel components.
Where else you meet it
Mandarin peel, orange blossom, Concord grapes, and many grape-flavoured sweets.