Butyric acid (from
Greek βούτῡρον, meaning "butter"), also known under the systematic name
butanoic acid, abbreviated
BTA, is a
carboxylic acid with the structural formula
CH3CH
2CH
2-
COOH.
Salts and
esters of butyric acid are known as
butyrates or
butanoates. Butyric acid is found in
milk, especially
goat,
sheep and
buffalo milk,
butter,
parmesan cheese, and as a product of anaerobic
fermentation (including in the
colon and as
body odor). It has an unpleasant
smell and acrid
taste, with a sweetish aftertaste similar to
ether. It can be detected by
mammals with good scent detection abilities such as
dogs at 10
parts per billion, whereas
humans can detect it in concentrations above 10
parts per million.