Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Furfuryl formate
Furfuryl formate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4542 (CAS 13493-97-5). Its odor is sweet, fruity, caramel, floral.
- FEMA
- 4542
- CAS
- 13493-97-5
- JECFA
- 2101
- Formula
- C6H6O3
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 24. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 13493-97-5.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Furanmethanol, 2-formate, Furfuryl alcohol, formate, 2-Furanmethanol, formate, 2-Furfuryl formate, (Furan-2-yl)methyl formate, 2-furanmethanol, formate, furfuryl alcohol, formate, 2-furanmethanol, 2-formate, 2-furylmethyl formate, furfuryl methanoate, 2-furfuryl formate, furfuryl formic acid.
Can Furfuryl formate be labeled natural?
Since furfuryl formate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when furfuryl formate 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 formate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4542. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Furfuryl formate. That is not a finding either way. The Union List covers defined flavouring substances, so natural complex materials are handled as flavouring preparations under Parts B to F and never receive a number, and substances used as additives sit under Regulation 1333/2008 instead. Confirm the position before EU or UK use.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 2101.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
Odor and taste
Odor: Sweet, fruity, caramel, floral.
Where it is used
Furfuryl formate is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors and baked goods, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Furfuryl formate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-(2-Furyl)acrolein | 2494 | 86% | In nature |
| 2-Methyl-3(2-furyl)acrolein | 2704 | 81% | In nature |
| Furfuryl methyl ether | 3159 | 80% | In nature |
| Piperonal | 2911 | 78% | In nature |
| Furfuryl acetate | 2490 | 70% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Isobutyl 3-(2-furan)propionate · Isoamyl 2-methylbutyrate · (+/-)-Ethyl 3-mercapto-2-methylbutanoate · mono-Menthyl succinate · alpha-Methylbenzyl acetate · Phenethyl phenylacetate
Furfuryl formate FAQ
Is furfuryl formate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists furfuryl formate as GRAS under FEMA number 4542. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for furfuryl formate?
Furfuryl formate is FEMA 4542, CAS 13493-97-5. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Does furfuryl formate count as natural in the US and the EU?
Furfuryl formate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: furfuryl formate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized furfuryl formate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic furfuryl formate identical-to-natural.
Is furfuryl formate approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for furfuryl formate. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 2101), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated furfuryl formate?
Yes. JECFA number 2101.
How is furfuryl formate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe furfuryl formate as sweet, fruity, caramel, floral. It is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors and baked goods.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
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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 FORMATE under CAS 13493-97-5 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as 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.