butyric acid
either of two isomeric acids having the formula C4H8O2, especially a rancid liquid occurring chiefly in spoiled butter, whose esters are used as flavorings.
Origin of butyric acid
1- Also called butanoic acid.
Words Nearby butyric acid
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use butyric acid in a sentence
butyric acid fermentations are more common in old butter and cheese.
The Book of Cheese | Charles Thom and Walter Warner FiskHe proved this very clearly for the lactic acid and butyric acid fermentations.
Makers of Modern Medicine | James J. WalshThis compound combines with hydrocyanic acid to form a nitrile which hydrolyses to dichlor-hydroxy iso-butyric acid.
Stale beef and that cut from an old steer exhales a pungent odor of butyric acid.
Dietetics for Nurses | Fairfax T. ProudfitDerivatives of butyric acid are present in butter and impart to it its characteristic flavor.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry | William McPherson
British Dictionary definitions for butyric acid
/ (bjuːˈtɪrɪk) /
a carboxylic acid existing in two isomeric forms, one of which produces the smell in rancid butter. Its esters are used in flavouring. Formula: C 3 (CH 2) 2 COOH
Origin of butyric acid
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for butyric acid
[ byōō-tîr′ĭk ]
Either of two colorless fatty acids found in butter and certain plant oils. It has an unpleasant odor and is used in emulsifying agents, disinfectants and drugs. Chemical formula: C4H8O2.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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