In short
2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one, sold as coffee furanone, is a small furanone. JECFA describes its aroma as wintergreen-like.
What 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one smells like
JECFA describes 2-methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one as a colourless liquid with a wintergreen-like aroma. It is sold as coffee furanone, a name that reflects its use in coffee flavours rather than a published odour description. Advanced Biotech's natural grade, as The Good Scents Company lists it, is sharp, sweet, caramellic, musty, bready and slightly nutty at full strength, and Parchem gives a pleasant caramel, roast-burnt odour.
- Leading note
- Wintergreen
What makes 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one distinctive
Sold as coffee furanone for its use in coffee flavours, while its published odour description is wintergreen-like.
Where the descriptions disagree: JECFA calls its aroma wintergreen-like, while the flavour suppliers describe it as sweet, caramellic and bready, with no wintergreen note.
How 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one is used
Used in traces in gourmand effects; the trade name refers to its use in coffee flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one differs from similar materials
- 5-Methylfurfural
- 5-Methylfurfural is caramel and maple with a spicy edge; this furanone is wintergreen-like to JECFA and sweet, caramellic and bready to flavour suppliers.
Each difference compares the published descriptions of the two materials. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Gourmand
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Coffee furanone, Dihydro-2-methyl-3(2H)-furanone, 2-Methyl-3-oxotetrahydrofuran
- CAS number
- 3188-00-9
- Molecular formula
- C5H8O2
- Molecular weight
- 100.12 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 2-methyloxolan-3-one
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 18522, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 24 October 2026.
Safety and compliance
Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (1,664 reports): H226 flammable liquid and vapor (100% of reports). Unless it is harmonised, this is the notifiers' own classification, not a binding one.
This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.
Materials it works with
-
Coffee Absolute
Absolute · Gourmand — roasted, coffee, smoky, bitter
-
Furaneol
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Fruity — strawberry, caramel, jammy, sweet
-
2-Acetylpyrazine
Aroma chemical · Gourmand — popcorn, roasted, nutty, bready
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 2 published formulas
2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one is an ingredient in 2 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Further reading
Questions about 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one
Is 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one may be made by synthesis or obtained from natural sources, so check the supplier's specification if the distinction matters to you.
What is the CAS number of 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one?
3188-00-9. It was checked against PubChem on 24 October 2026.
Which published formulas use 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one?
2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one is used in 2 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Cappuccino Accord and Hazelnut Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 18522, checked 24 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- PubChem — 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one (CID 18522): JECFA organoleptic description — odour database.
- The Good Scents Company — 2-methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one — odour database.
- Parchem — 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran-3-one — distributor's description.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 26 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.