| FEMA | 2487 |
| CAS | 64-18-6 |
| EINECS | 200-579-1 |
| JECFA Food Flavoring | 79 |
| CoE Number | 1 |
| Organoleptic Notes |
|
| Odor | acetic pungent, vinegar, sharp, acetic, fruity, fermented |
| Flavor | acetic acetic, astringent, fruity, mustard, bready, |
| Material Notes | Used as a flavouring adjunct, an animal feed additive, a brewing antiseptic and as a food preservative Formic acid (systematically called methanoic acid) is the simplest carboxylic acid. Its formula is HCOOH or CH2O2. It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in the venom of bee and ant stings.; Formic acid is the simplest carboxylic acid. Formate is an intermediate in normal metabolism. It takes part in the metabolism of one-carbon compounds and its carbon may appear in methyl groups undergoing transmethylation. It is eventually oxidized to carbon dioxide. In nature, formic acid is found in the stings and bites of many insects of the order Hymenoptera, including bees and ants. The principal use of formic acid is as a preservative and antibacterial agent in livestock feed. When sprayed on fresh hay or other silage, it arrests certain decay processes and causes the feed to retain its nutritive value longer.; This technique has problems of its own, particularly disposing of the ammonium sulfate byproduct, so some manufacturers have recently developed energy efficient means of separating formic acid from the large excess amount of water used in direct hydrolysis. In one of these processes (used by BASF) the formic acid is removed from the water via liquid-liquid extraction with an organic base. |