Furaneol, or strawberry furanone, is an

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. T ...

used in the flavor and perfume industry. It is formally a derivative of furan. It is a white or colorless solid that is soluble in water and organic solvents.

Odor and occurrence

Although malodorous at high concentrations, it exhibits a sweet strawberry aroma when dilute. It is found in strawberries and a variety of other fruits and it is partly responsible for the smell of fresh

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

. It is also an important component of the odours of

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as ''Fagopy ...

, and

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

Stereoisomerism

Furaneol has two enantiomers, (''R'')-(+)-furaneol and (''S'')-(−)-furaneol. The (''R'')-form is mainly responsible for the smell.Leffingwell,:John C
Chirality & Odour Perception – The Furaneols

Biosynthesis

It is one of several products from the dehydration of glucose. Its immediate biosynthetic precursor is the glucoside, derived from dehydration of sucrose.

References

{{Reflist Flavors Enones Enols Dihydrofurans Sweet-smelling chemicals