2,3-Butanediol is a chiral compound which is extensively utilised in chemical feedstocks and liquid fuels.

2,3-Butanediol can be used as a reference standard for the determination of 2,3-butanediol in:
'Fino' sherry wine by rotatory and continuous liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Cell cultures as well as fermentation broths by high performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAE-PAD)
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) by HS-SPME-GC-MS with principal component analysis (PCA)
Vinegar samples by HS-SPME combined with GC-MS in electron impact ionization (EI+) mode