propionic acid

noun

, Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a colorless, oily, water-soluble liquid, C 3 H 6 O 2 , having a pungent odor: used in making bread-mold-inhibiting propionates, in perfumery, and in medicine as a topical fungicide.

propionic acid

/ ˌprəʊpɪˈɒnɪk /

noun

1. the former name for propanoic acid

propionic acid

/ prō′pē-ŏn′ĭk /

1. A liquid fatty acid found naturally in sweat and milk products and as a product of bacterial fermentation. It is also prepared synthetically from ethanol and carbon monoxide, and is used chiefly in the form of its propionates as a mold inhibitor in bread and as an ingredient in perfume. Chemical formula: C 3 H 6 O 2 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of propionic acid¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Word History and Origins

Origin of propionic acid¹

C19: from Greek pro- first + pionic from piōn fat, because it is first in order of the fatty acids

Example Sentences

“They are replacing propionate with bacteria that produce propionic acid,” she said.

From Seattle Times

Clostridia bacterial pathogens, for instance, generate propionic acid in the gut — a short-chain fatty acid known to disrupt the production of neurotransmitters.

From Nature

Vinegar will replace propionic acid, a preservative in its turkey. Banana peppers will be given their fluorescent sheen with turmeric, often used in Indian curries, instead of Yellow No. 5.

From Washington Post

Some of the changes will include using banana peppers that are colored with turmeric instead of Yellow No. 5 and using turkey that includes with vinegar rather than the preservative propionic acid.

From Time

She found, first, that when she injected engineered mice with propionic acid, the blood pressure of those in which Olfr78 had been knocked out dropped more than it did in normal mice.

From Economist