Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Furfuryl acetate
Furfuryl acetate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2490 (CAS 623-17-6). Its odor is sweet, fruity, caramel, nutty, estery.
- FEMA
- 2490
- CAS
- 623-17-6
- JECFA
- 739
- EU FL
- 13.128
- Formula
- C7H8O3
- EC
- 210-775-9
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 623-17-6.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Furanmethanol, 2-acetate, Furfuryl alcohol, acetate, 2-Furanmethanol, acetate, Acetic acid furfuryl ester, 2-(Acetoxymethyl)furan, 2-Furanmethyl acetate, 2-Furylmethyl acetate, NSC 5585, (Furan-2-yl)methyl acetate, 2-furanmethanol, acetate, 2-furanmethanol acetate, furfural acetate.
Can Furfuryl acetate be labeled natural?
Since furfuryl acetate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when furfuryl acetate is synthesized. In the EU and UK the natural claim likewise needs the natural route, while Mercosur and Mexico keep a third class, identical-to-natural, for the synthetic material.
- United States
- Natural or artificial, by process
- European Union and UK
- Natural only from natural material
- Mercosur and Mexico
- Natural or identical-to-natural
How each market defines the classes: natural vs artificial flavor under 21 CFR 101.22.
Regulatory status, with citations
United States
Furfuryl acetate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2490. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 13.128, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 739, evaluated at the 55th meeting in 2000. No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Furfuryl acetate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 623-17-6, where EPA names it 2-Furanmethanol, 2-acetate.
Active in US commerce
EPA designates this substance active, so no Notice of Activity Form B is required before manufacturing. What active and inactive mean.
EPA publishes no regulatory flags on this listing. What the flags mean.
From the EPA non-confidential TSCA Inventory, July 2026 release. EPA also maintains a confidential portion it does not publish. Search the Inventory by CAS number.
Odor and taste
Odor: Sweet, fruity, caramel, nutty, estery.
Where it is used
Furfuryl acetate is used in beverage, confection, flavoring and baked goods, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Furfuryl acetate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-Furfuryl thioacetate | 3162 | 90% | In nature |
| Ethyl furfuryl ether | 4114 | 86% | In nature |
| Furfuryl formate | 4542 | 73% | In nature |
| Furfural propyleneglycol acetal | 4537 | 67% | Not determined |
| 3-(2-Furyl)acrolein | 2494 | 64% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Ethyl formate · Piperonyl acetate · Ethyl hexadecanoate · L-Monomenthyl glutarate · Guaiacol isobutyrate · alpha-Amylcinnamyl formate
Furfuryl acetate FAQ
Is furfuryl acetate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists furfuryl acetate as GRAS under FEMA number 2490. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for furfuryl acetate?
Furfuryl acetate is FEMA 2490, CAS 623-17-6. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Does furfuryl acetate count as natural in the US and the EU?
Furfuryl acetate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: furfuryl acetate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized furfuryl acetate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic furfuryl acetate identical-to-natural.
Is furfuryl acetate on the EU Union List?
Furfuryl acetate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 13.128 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated furfuryl acetate?
Yes. JECFA number 739, evaluated at the 55th meeting in 2000. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is furfuryl acetate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe furfuryl acetate as sweet, fruity, caramel, nutty, estery. It is used in beverage, confection, flavoring and baked goods.
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Sources and attribution. The identity and regulatory facts on this page are taken from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, a US government record, which lists this substance as FURFURYL ACETATE under CAS 623-17-6 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavor enhancer, flavoring agent or adjuvant.
A FEMA GRAS conclusion is reached by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, and the FEMA number names that conclusion. FEMA publishes its own entry for this substance in the FEMA Flavor Library, which is the authoritative record of what the Panel decided and is worth reading alongside this page.
Ambrose Compliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FEMA. FEMA and FEMA GRAS are used here as identifiers for a published regulatory determination, not as marks of any relationship between FEMA and Ambrose.
About this page. Facts come from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, the Code of Federal Regulations, the EPA TSCA Inventory, the EU Union List, JECFA and the Ambrose database, with FEMA's published determination cited where it applies; parts of the text are written by Ambrose AI, which can make mistakes. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. This is not regulatory or legal advice.