Acetoin is used as a food flavoring (in baked goods) and a fragrance. It can be found in apples, butter, yogurt, asparagus, black currants, blackberry, wheat, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cantaloupe.he conversion of acetoin into acetyl-CoA is catalysed by the acetoin dehydrogenase complex, following a mechanism largely analogous to the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex; however, as acetoin is not a 2-oxoacid, it does not undergo decarboxylation by the E1 enzyme; instead, a molecule of acetaldehyde is released.