Manufactured globally (major aroma chemical producers)
Pyramid
Top-Heart
Sweet, grape-like with a narcotic, orange-blossom quality. Methyl anthranilate smells like Concord grape juice crossed with neroli — fruity, floral, unmistakably sweet.
Intensely sweet, grape-fruity, with a narcotic orange-blossom floralcy. The grape and floral qualities coexist simultaneously — neither dominates. Sweeter than linalool, more grape-like than geraniol, more narcotic than hydroxycitronellal. A slightly animalic-indolic undertone adds depth. Strong and diffusive.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Sweet grape-fruity burst with narcotic floral depth. Immediate and strong.
After a few hours
After a few hours
Orange-blossom heart develops. Grape character persists. Indolic undertone.
After a few days
After a few days
Sweet, warm residue. Persistent and diffusive. Narcotic warmth lingers.
The Full Story
CAS 134-20-3. An amino-benzoate ester found naturally in neroli, ylang-ylang, jasmine, and Concord grapes. Methyl anthranilate is a particular dual-character molecules in perfumery — simultaneously grape-fruity and narcotic-floral.
The scent is immediately recognizable: sweet, grape-like (the 'grape soda' molecule), with a narcotic, orange-blossom-floral quality underneath. In neroli and orange blossom, methyl anthranilate provides the slightly narcotic, slightly animalic depth that distinguishes these from simpler citrus-floral materials. In grapes, it is the molecule responsible for the 'foxy' character of Concord and other Vitis labrusca varieties.
In perfumery, methyl anthranilate is used in neroli/orange blossom accords, narcotic floral compositions, and grape-flavored products. It is also the precursor to aurantiol and other Schiff bases when reacted with aldehydes.
Methyl anthranilate is used by the US Department of Agriculture as a bird repellent — birds find its grape-like taste intensely aversive, while humans find it pleasant. It is sprayed on crops, added to aircraft engine lubricants (to deter bird strikes), and even mixed into pond water to keep geese away.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Produced synthetically by esterification of anthranilic acid with methanol. Found naturally in neroli oil (0.5-1.5%), ylang-ylang, and jasmine absolute. Natural isolation is possible but synthetic production dominates due to cost. Also produced by biotechnology routes using engineered E. coli.
Heart note in neroli, orange blossom, grape, and narcotic-floral compositions. Methyl anthranilate provides the narcotic-sweet depth essential to natural-smelling orange blossom accords. In grape flavoring, it is the primary character molecule. In perfumery, it is also used as a Schiff base precursor — its reaction with hydroxycitronellal produces aurantiol, a key neroli molecule.
