Trimethylglycine	Last updated: 19/02/2026
(Also known as: TMG; sugarbeet component; betaine; glycine betaine; oxyneurine)

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Hazard alerts

The following Pesticide Hazard Tricolour (PHT) alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement. The alerts for Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) are based on applying the FAO/WHO (Type 1) and the PAN (Type II) criteria to PPDB data. Further details on the HHP indicators are given in the tables below. Neither the PHT nor the HHP hazard alerts take account of usage patterns or exposure, thus they do not represent risk.

PHT: Environmental fate	PHT: Ecotoxicity	PHT: Human health	Highly Hazardous Pesticide
	Ecotoxicity Low alert: Birds acute ecotoxicity: Low; Bees acute contact ecotoxicity: Low; Bees acute oral ecotoxicity: Low Warning: Significant data are missing	Human health Low alert Warning: Significant data are missing

GENERAL INFORMATION

Description	Trimethylgycine is a plant derived compound which is the major active component in sugarbeet root extract.
Example pests controlled	Botrytis; Yield; Quality
Example applications	Wine and table grapes; Soft berries; Some vegetables
Efficacy & activity	-
Appearance and life cycle	-
Taxonomic classification	-

GB regulatory status

GB COPR regulatory status	Not approved
Date COPR inclusion expires	Not applicable
GB LERAP status	No GB approval for use as a crop protection agent

EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414)

EC Regulation 1107/2009 status	Not approved
Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur	Not applicable
Date EC 1107/2009 inclusion expires	Not applicable
EU Candidate for substitution (CfS)	Not applicable
Listed in EU database	No
Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 in the following EU Member States	ATAustria BEBelgium BGBulgaria CYCyprus CZCzech Republic DEGermany DKDenmark EEEstonia ELGreece                   ESSpain FIFinland FRFrance HRCroatia HUHungary IEIreland ITItaly LTLithuania LULuxembourg                   LVLatvia MTMalta NLNetherlands PLPoland PTPortugal RORomania SESweden SISlovenia SKSlovakia
Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 by Mutual Recognition of Authorisation and/or national regulations in the following EEA countries	ISIceland NONorway

Additional information

Known to be also used in the following countries	-

Chemical structure

Isomerism	Trimethylglycine is not isomeric using the classic definition but it is a zwitterion, meaning it exists in two forms: the neutral form and the charged form. This dipolar zwitterionic compound contains both a positively charged quaternary ammonium group and a negatively charged carboxylate group thus is electrically neutral overall.
Chemical formula	C₅H₁₁NO₂
Canonical SMILES	C[N+](C)(C)CC(=O)[O-]
Isomeric SMILES	-
International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)	KWIUHFFTVRNATP-UHFFFAOYSA-N
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)	InChI=1S/C5H11NO2/c1-6(2,3)4-5(7)8/h4H2,1-3H3
2D structure diagram/image available?	Yes

Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre diagrams

Common Name	Relationship	Link
trimethylglycine	-

General status

Biopesticide type		Fungicide; Other substance; Veterinary substance
Other bioactivity & uses		Pharmaceutical; Biostimulant - improved disease resiliance, growth enhancement and quality traits; Plant elicitor
Substance groups		Plant-derived substance; Animal derived substance; Amino-acid derivative
Minimum active substance purity		-
Known relevant impurities		-
Substance origin		Natural
Mode of action		Not direct fungicidal activity but acts through indirect modes of action including as an osmo-protectant & resistance inducer which up-regulates the plants own defences against fungal infections.
Substance source		Major biologically-active component of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) roots and other beet plants, spinach and grains. Also found in the human body & is produced by some cyanobacteria
Mixture composition		Not applicable
Uses		Crop protection
Target pests		Botrytis; Yield; Quality
Target host		Wine and table grapes; Soft berries; Some vegetables
Farming system suitability		-
CAS RN		107-43-7
EC number		203-490-6
CIPAC number		-
US EPA chemical code		-
PubChem CID		247
Molecular mass		117.15
PIN (Preferred Identification Name)		-
IUPAC name		2-(trimethylazaniumyl)acetate
CAS name		N,N,N-trimethylglycine
Global Governance status: Listed (✓) under		UK Poisons List Order 1972 Rotterdam Convention Montreal Protocol XNo The Poisons List Order 1972 XNo Rotterdam Convention XNo Montreal Protocol Stockholm Convention OSPAR EU Water Framework Directive XNo Stockholm Convention XNo OSPAR XNo EU Water Framework Directive
Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards		-
Forever chemical		-
Highly Hazardous Pesticide (HHP)	Type I	-
	Type II	-
Other status information		-
Herbicide Resistance Class (HRAC MoA class)		Not applicable
Herbicide Resistance Class (WSSA MoA class)		Not applicable
Insecticide Resistance Class (IRAC MoA class)		Not applicable
Fungicide Resistance Class (FRAC MOA class)		Not applicable
Examples of recorded resistance		-
Physical state		Colourless solid
Related substances & organisms		sugarbeet root extract

Commercial

Property	Value
Availability status	Current
Introduction & key dates	-
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically	Not manufactured directly for use as a pesticide
Example products using this active	-
Formulation and application details	-
Commercial production	Not commercially manufactered for use as a pesticide but is obtained as a byproduct of sugar refining from molasses. In most organisms, trimethylglycine is biosynthesised by oxidation of choline
Impact on climate of production and use	-

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20 °C at pH 7 (mg l⁻¹)		611000	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes	High
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Melting point (°C)		180	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Boiling point (°C)		293	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes	-
Degradation point (°C)		293	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Flashpoint (°C)		-	-	-
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C	P	1.17 X 10-03	Calculated	-
	Log P	-2.93	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes	Low
Fat solubility of residues	Solubility	-	-	-
	Data type	-	-	-
Density (g ml⁻¹)		-	-	-
Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C		1.832	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes	-
		One protonated cation
Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)		7.11 X 10-02	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes	Low volatility
Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)		3.96	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes	Moderately volatile
Volatilisation as max % of applied dose lost	From plant surface	-	-	-
	From soil surface	-	-	-
Maximum UV-vis absorption L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹		Max absorption at 200nm, no detectable absorption between 240nm and 800nm	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes	-
Surface tension (mN m⁻¹)		-	-	-

Degradation

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
General biodegradability		Biodegradable
Soil degradation (days) (aerobic)	DT₅₀ (typical)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ modelling endpoint	-	-	-
	Note	Naturally occurring substance
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on plant matrix	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on and in plant matrix	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Aqueous photolysis DT₅₀ (days) at pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Aqueous hydrolysis DT₅₀ (days) at 20 °C and pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Water-sediment DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Water phase only DT₅₀ (days)		0.22	P4 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 4 = Verified data	Fast
Sediment phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Air degradation		As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below.
Decay in stored produce DT₅₀		-

Soil adsorption and mobility

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Linear	Kd (mL g⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Koc (mL g⁻¹)	-
	Notes and range	-
Freundlich	Kf (mL g⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Kfoc (mL g⁻¹)	-
	1/n	-
	Notes and range	-
pH sensitivity		-

Known metabolites

None

ECOTOXICOLOGY

Terrestrial ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 5000	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	Low
Mammals - Short Term Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mammals - Long Term (Chronic) Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		> 1560	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes Rat	Low
Birds - Acute LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 2000	P4 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 4 = Verified data Unknown species	Low
Birds - Short term dietary LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Chronic 21d NOEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ dw soil)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Chronic NOEC, reproduction (mg kg⁻¹ dw soil)		-	-	-
Soil micro-organisms		-	-	-
Collembola	Acute LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Chronic NOEC (mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
Non-target plants	Vegetative vigour ER₅₀ (g ha⁻¹)	> 17900	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes Avena sativa	-
	Seedling emergence ER₅₀ (g ha⁻¹)	> 17900	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes Avena sativa	-
Honeybees (Apis spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	> 527	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes Apis mellifera	Low
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	> 527	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes Apis mellifera	Low
	Unknown mode acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Chronic	-	-	-
	Notes	-
Bumblebees (Bombus spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
		-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
		-
Mason bees (Osmia spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
Other bee species (1)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Other bee species (2)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Beneficial insects (Ladybirds)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Lacewings)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Parasitic wasps)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Predatory mites)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Ground beetles)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Butterflies)	Contact	-	-	-
	Notes	-
	Oral	-	-	-
	Notes	-

Aquatic ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Tropical Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Tropical Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic crustaceans - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, static, water (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, sediment (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic Plants (free-floating, fonds growth, fresh) - 7 day (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic plants (rooted, growth rate, fresh) - 14 day (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Acute (growth rate, fresh; mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Chronic (growth rate, fresh; mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mesocosm study data	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
Marine bivalves		-	-	-

Regulatory Threshold Levels (RTLs) used to calculate Total Applied Toxicity (TAT)

Species group	RTL	Notes
Mammals	312	Worst case of acute and chronic mammals
Birds	200	Worst case of acute and chronic birds
Soil organisms	No data	No data for acute and chronic earthworms
Terrestrial plants	3580	Worst case of non-target plants vegetative vigour and seedling emergence
Pollinators	10.54	Worst case of contact and oral honeybees
Arthropods	No data	No data for parasitic wasps and predatory mites
Fish	No data	No data for temperate acute and chronic fish
Aquatic invertebrates	No data	No data for temperate acute and chronic aquatic invertebrates
Aquatic plants	No data	No data for free-floating plants, rooted plants, acute and chronic algae

HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION

General

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Threshold of Toxicological Concern (Cramer Class)		-	-	-
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 5000	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	Low
Mammals - Short Term Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mammals - Long Term (Chronic) Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		> 1560	P5 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes Rat	Low
Mammals - Dermal LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ body weight)		-	-	-
Mammals - Inhalation LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Other Mammal toxicity endpoints		-	-	-
ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
AAOEL - Acute Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
AOEL - Acceptable Operator Exposure Level - Systemic (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
Dermal penetration studies (%)		-	-	-
Dangerous Substances Directive 76/464		-	-	-
Exposure Routes	Public	-
	Occupational	-
Mammalian dose elimination route and rate		Eliminated through metabolism in the liver and kidneys, and not through direct excretion, its clearance is a gradual process	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-

Health issues

Specific human health issues (hazard-based)		Carcinogen Genotoxic Endocrine disruptor XNo, known not to cause a problem A0 A = Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; B0 B = DNA damage/repair (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; C0 C = Gene mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; D0 D = Genome mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; E0 E = Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 0 = No data No data found Reproduction / development effects Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor Neurotoxicant No data found No data found No data found Respiratory tract irritant Skin irritant Skin sensitiser XNo, known not to cause a problem ✓Yes, known to cause a problem XNo, known not to cause a problem Eye irritant Phototoxicant   ✓Yes, known to cause a problem No data found
General human health issues		May cause diarrhea, bloating, cramps, dyspepsia, nausea or vomiting; Generally considered to offer human health benefits including supporting heart health, increasing athletic performance and promoting healthy insulin levels

Handling issues

Property	Value and interpretation
General	TMG is hydrophilic Not expected to auto-ignite; Not highly flammable
CLP classification 2013	Health: H315, H319
WHO Classification	Not listed (Not listed)
UN Number	-
Waste disposal & packaging	-
Shelf-life, storage, stability and reactivity	-

TRANSLATIONS

Language	Name
English	trimethylglycine
French	-
German	-
Danish	-
Italian	-
Spanish	-
Greek	-
Polish	-
Swedish	-
Hungarian	-
Dutch	-
Norwegian	-

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Record last updated:	19/02/2026
Contact:	aeru@herts.ac.uk
Please cite as:	Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242

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