2,5-Dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone

Known to flavourists as furaneol, this potent aroma compound smells intensely of ripe strawberries with a warm caramel undertone. It occurs naturally in strawberries, pineapples and tomatoes, and forms during cooking and baking as sugars break down. The flavour industry uses it to lift berry, pineapple, tropical and baked notes in confectionery, beverages and desserts. Its impact is wildly disproportionate to its concentration: with an odour threshold in the parts-per-billion range, it ranks among the most powerful aroma molecules in the flavourist’s palette, and a trace can define a product’s entire fruity character.