Difurfuryl Disulfide

What Difurfuryl Disulfide smells like

JECFA, as published by PubChem, describes difurfuryl disulfide as a pale yellowish oily liquid with a powerful, repulsive sulphuraceous odour. Parchem sells it as coffee difuran and gives sulphurous, coffee, furfuryl mercaptan, roasted, meaty, onion and cabbage notes. PubChem lists coffee difuran among its synonyms. Sigma-Aldrich, which sells it for flavours and fragrances, gives cabbage, coffee, meaty, onion, roasted and sulphurous as its organoleptic profile and notes that it occurs mainly in roasted coffee.

Leading note

Sulphurous

Clear facets

Roasted coffee

Supporting facets

Meaty

Faint facets

Onion

Character

Powerful, savoury

• sulphurous
• coffee
• roasted
• meaty

What makes Difurfuryl Disulfide distinctive

A roasted-coffee sulphur note: it is the cooked, roasted side of coffee rather than the bean or the brew.

How Difurfuryl Disulfide is used

Used in traces for roasted coffee and savoury effects in gourmand accords.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).

How Difurfuryl Disulfide differs from similar materials

Prenyl Mercaptan

Prenyl mercaptan is the raw skunk-and-onion sulphur; difurfuryl disulfide is cooked and roasted, the coffee side of sulphur.

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.

Formulation considerations

Work from high dilution; the neat material is repellent.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Synthetic

Odour family

Gourmand

Note position

Heart note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

Coffee difuran, Bis(2-furylmethyl) disulfide

CAS number

4437-20-1

Molecular formula

C10H10O2S2

Molecular weight

226.3 g/mol

IUPAC name

2-[(furan-2-ylmethyldisulfanyl)methyl]furan

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 20499, 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 (1,413 reports): H302 harmful if swallowed (96.2% of reports). 24 of the reports find it does not meet the hazard criteria. 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

• 2,3,5-Trimethylpyrazine

  Aroma chemical · Gourmand — roasted, nutty, cocoa, earthy

• Sulfurol

  Aroma chemical · Gourmand — beefy, nutty

Difurfuryl Disulfide is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Coffee CO2 Extract.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 6 published formulas

Difurfuryl Disulfide is an ingredient in 3 perfume formulas and 3 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.

Community formulas

• Banana Bread

  Community Formula · listed as “Coffee Difuran 0.1%”, at 0.1%

• Cappuccino Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Coffee Difuran 0.1%”, at 0.1%

• Hazelnut Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Coffee Difuran 0.1%”, at 0.1%

• Soy Sauce Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Coffee Difuran 0.1 %”, at 0.1%

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

• Cardamom Crema

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Difurfuryl Disulfide 1% DPG”, at 1% in DPG

• Patchouli Cold Brew

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Difurfuryl Disulfide 1% DPG”, at 1% in DPG

Further reading

• Building a Gourmand Accord: Vanilla, Caramel and Beyond

  The materials of gourmand perfume — vanillin, ethyl maltol, coumarin, lactones, roasted notes — how to keep them wearable, and color and crystal problems.

Questions about Difurfuryl Disulfide

Sources

• PubChem — compound 20499, checked 24 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• PubChem — 2,2'-(Dithiodimethylene)difuran (CID 20499): JECFA organoleptic description — odour database.
• Parchem — coffee difuran — distributor's description.
• Sigma-Aldrich — difurfuryl disulfide (W314609) — manufacturer'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.