Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 1, 2026

Tributyrin

Tributyrin is a triglyceride naturally present in butter. It is an ester composed of butyric acid and glycerol.‍ Among other things, it is used as an ingredient in making margarine. It is present in butter and can be described as a liquid fat with an acrid taste.

Last revised
Jul 1, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
338 w
Citations
8
Source
Tributyrin
Skeletal formula of butyrin
source ↗
Ball-and-stick model of the butyrin molecule
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Names
Systematic IUPAC name
Propane-1,2,3-triyl tributanoate
Other names
Tributyrin
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.000.410
KEGG
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C15H26O6/c1-4-7-13(16)19-10-12(21-15(18)9-6-3)11-20-14(17)8-5-2/h12H,4-11H2,1-3H3
    Key: UYXTWWCETRIEDR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
  • CCCC(=O)OCC(COC(=O)CCC)OC(=O)CCC
Properties
C15H26O6
Molar mass 302.367 g·mol−1
Appearance Oily liquid with bitter taste‍1
Density 1.032 g/cm31
Melting point −75 °C (−103 °F; 198 K)1
Boiling point 305 to 310 °C (581 to 590 °F; 578 to 583 K)1
Insoluble‍1
Hazards
Safety data sheet (SDS) Tributyrin MSDS, Fischer Scientific
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Tributyrin is a triglyceride naturally present in butter. It is an ester composed of butyric acid and glycerol.‍1 Among other things, it is used as an ingredient in making margarine. It is present in butter and can be described as a liquid fat with an acrid taste.

Tributyrin is also used in microbiological laboratories to identify the bacterium Moraxella catarrhalis.‍2

Tributyrin is a stable and rapidly absorbed prodrug of butyric acid which enhances antiproliferative effects of dihydroxycholecalciferol in human colon cancer cells.‍3

See also

See also

References

References