Food Science
How Menthol Fools Your Brain Into Feeling Cold — and Why Food Scientists Have Better Options
Menthol creates a sensation of cold by activating the TRPM8 receptor, tricking the brain into perceiving a temperature drop without any actual cooling. Food scientists can precisely engineer cooling sensations in products by selecting from a spectrum of synthetic TRPM8 agonists with varying potency and duration.
Dr. Lena Hanson·November 1, 2026
