Cecil's probably already answered this one, but...

[jamshid]

...I can't find it anywhere.

Why does menthol feel like it "cools" your mouth down? Poorly worded, I know, but you all get the gist.

[winky99]

Try this one out. http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=4775 You have to wade through some smartass antics (usually better than answer) but you'll get there.

[jamshid]

This seems like spouting. I don't believe word of it.

Specifically, what makes MINT (peppermint, spearmint, trebuchetmint, I don't care) so "cooling"? The thread had a lot of suppositions, like 'heat' and 'lack of heat' but they all seemed like copouts.

I really couldn't care less about what the chemical compounds are; I'd like to know why it is that menthol (mint, eucalyptus, etc.) makes your mouth feel "colder" when you suck air or drink a cold beverage afterwards.

For the record, I understand that mint doesn't make you feel cooler. It merely presents the topical sensation of coolness. But why?

[Arnold Winkelried]

Food Product Design : Packing a Punch with Pungency, September 1998 -- Applications (http://www.foodproductdesign.com/archive/1998/0998AP.html)
By: Kimberly J. Decker, Contributing Editor


Chilling out
Opposite capsaicin's heat on the trigeminal spectrum lies the cooling sensation of peppermint, spearmint and wintergreen. This sensation occurs when compounds in these flavors interact with trigeminal cooling receptors in the nasal or oral tissues. Menthol (in its natural, l-isomer form), is responsible for most of mint's cooling character. And though the crystalline form of some polyols, such as xylitol, create a slight cooling feeling from their endothermic breakdown, this differs from a menthol cooling sensation.

Menthol bears the distinction of being both volatile and oil-soluble, which allows it to enter the nasal passages with enough left in the solid or liquid phase to pass through the epithelium of the tongue and mouth. There it basically resets thermal receptors, sensitizing them to cooling. This cooling depends heavily on evaporation. "If you put some menthol in your mouth and close your mouth," Bryant says, "there's not too much of a thermal, cool sensation." Just breathe in, however, and the evaporation helps intensify the effect.

[astro]

Food Product Design : Packing a Punch with Pungency, September 1998 -- Applications (http://www.foodproductdesign.com/archive/1998/0998AP.html)
By: Kimberly J. Decker, Contributing Editor


Impressive Arnold Winkelried! I looked in a few global search engines because the question intrigued me but couldn't find squat. I'm not the OP but thanks!

[jamshid]

Thanks Arnold! Exactly the answer I was looking for!