[2][3] It is a flammable liquid with a foul odor, which is detectable at levels as low as 1 part per trillion.

[4] Dimethyl trisulfide has been found in volatiles emitted from cooked onion, leek and other Allium species, from broccoli and cabbage, as well as from Limburger cheese,[5] and is involved in the unpalatable aroma of aged beer and stale Japanese sake.

[8] DMTS contributes to the foul odor given off by the fungus Phallus impudicus, also known as the common stinkhorn.

DMTS causes the characteristic malodorous smell of a fungating lesion, e.g., from cancer wounds,[4] and contributes to the odor of human feces.

In conjunction with these studies, the LD50 of dimethyl trisulfide in CD-1 mice was found to be 598.5 mg/kg, which may be compared to the LD50 of potassium cyanide of 8.0 mg/kg.