Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Menthofuran
Menthofuran is a furan in the mint family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3235 (CAS 494-90-6). Its odor is minty, herbal, sweet, fresh.
- FEMA
- 3235
- CAS
- 494-90-6
- JECFA
- 758
- Formula
- C10H14O
- EC
- 207-795-5
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 4. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 494-90-6.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Benzofuran, 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-3,6-dimethyl-, p-Mentha-3,8-diene, 3,9-epoxy-, 4,5,6,7-Tetrahydro-3,6-dimethylbenzofuran, Menthofurane, NSC 315249, 3,6-Dimethyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzofuran, 3,6-Dimethyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-benzofuran, 3,6-dimethyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-benzofuran, 3,9-epoxy-p-mentha-3,8-diene, benzofuran, 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-3,6-dimethyl-, p-mentha-3,8-diene, 3,9-epoxy-, 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-3,6-dimethylcoumarone.
Can Menthofuran be labeled natural?
The process decides for menthofuran. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic menthofuran is artificial. 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
Menthofuran is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3235. 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 Menthofuran. 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 758, evaluated at the 46th 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. Menthofuran appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 494-90-6, where EPA names it Benzofuran, 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-3,6-dimethyl-.
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: Minty, herbal, sweet, fresh.
Taste: Minty, cooling, slightly sweet.
Where it is used
Menthofuran is used in beverage, confection, flavoring and chewing gum, typically as a mint note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Menthofuran by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-(4-Methyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid-gamma-lactone | 3863 | 66% | In nature |
| 2-Butylfuran | 4081 | 65% | In nature |
| 4,5-Dimethyl-2-propyloxazole | 4396 | 64% | In nature |
| Dehydromenthofurolactone | 3755 | 63% | In nature |
| Furfural propyleneglycol acetal | 4537 | 62% | Not determined |
More furans in this index
2-Ethylfuran · 2,5-Dimethylfuran-3(2H)-one · Furfural propyleneglycol acetal · 1-Furfurylpyrrole · 2-Methylfuran · 2-Pentanoylfuran
Menthofuran FAQ
Does menthofuran have FEMA GRAS status?
Menthofuran holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 3235. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite menthofuran by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite menthofuran as FEMA 3235 or CAS 494-90-6; both point to the same entry. Its flavor category is mint.
What does menthofuran smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of menthofuran is minty, herbal, sweet, fresh. On the palate it is minty, cooling, slightly sweet. Typical uses are beverage, confection, flavoring and chewing gum.
What did JECFA conclude about menthofuran?
JECFA evaluated menthofuran at the 46th meeting in 2000 under JECFA number 758. The panel concluded: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Is menthofuran approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for menthofuran. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 758), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Can menthofuran be labeled a natural flavor?
Nature makes menthofuran, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial menthofuran, same molecule. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic menthofuran identical-to-natural.
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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 4,5,6,7-TETRAHYDRO-3,6-DIMETHYLBENZOFURAN under CAS 494-90-6 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.