The pathway of formation for the aromatic precursors involves four important steps: enzymatic oxidation, metabolic processing of unsaturated fatty acids, cysteinlated or glutathionylated conjugation to aldehydes, and a β-lyase cleavage during alcoholic fermentation to release MMB.

[17] For Sauvignon Blanc, the contribution of volatile thiols to varietal aroma is quite significant as the levels in wine usually exceed the threshold of detection.

Unlike most aroma compounds found in wine, volatile thiols are unique in the fact that they exist in trace amounts in the berries.

[16] The intense passion fruit-type aroma of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wines are attributed to high concentrations of the varietal thiols.

[18][19] MMB synthesis, within the biological system of a cat's bladder, is regulated by many different factors including cauxin, age, and sex.

Cauxin is an enzyme that acts as a nonspecific carboxylesterase abundant in feline urine which converts 3-methylbutanol-cysteinylglycine (3MBCG) to felinine, with a side product of glycine.

Prior to sexual maturation of cats, cauxin and MMB are not produced at significant levels since this is a testosterone-dependent, although the specific role of testosterone is not well understood.

Biologically, this is logical as the ability to utilize pheromones such as MMB for territory marking and finding mates is not needed during kittenhood.