Tetrahydrofuran Research Paper

The processing of foods at high temperatures intensifies taste, color, texture and causes less harmful bacteria or germs. However, during the heating of foods at high temperatures, various hazardous chemicals are formed, such as acrylamide, which was discussed in Chapter 3 and furan. Furan has been known for years to occur in thermally-treated foods. The identification of furan in food, however, has generated less attention and less research than acrylamide.
Furan is an industrial chemical used in the production of other chemicals, including tetrahydrofuran, resins, lacquers and agricultural products. Furan is a volatile, colorless liquid and chemical formed in food when heated. High levels of furan were detected in commercially-processed