Why does mint candy look fresh?

Have you ever wondered why mint – like the famous black halls – causes a fresh sensation in the mouth, keeping the tongue cooler, even at room temperature? The answer lies in science.

The freshness of the candy occurs through a chemical called “menthol”, which is an organic compound obtained from plants such as mint and spearmint, According to information from the World Education website.

Our sense of taste alone is incapable of generating this “cold” sensation. So the bullet causes this different effect.

Mint and spearmint belong to the same family that bears its scientific name Lamiaceae. However, it is good to remember that they are not the same thing.

The plant we know as mint is mint spicataIt is commonly used as a spice, being milder. mint is Mintha Piperitawhich has a stronger, hotter flavor, and is found in toothpaste and chewing gum.

cool flavor

This feeling of freshness is actually a trick that menthol generates. It affects the system of sensory receptors that we have to monitor factors such as touch, temperature and pain, the so-called somatosensory system.

It is a complex network of neurons, different from the systems responsible for our taste and smell.

We have neurons that can sense, for example, whether it is cold or hot. They monitor the environment using specialized proteins found in cell membranes. These proteins control channels that can allow a substance to pass through the cell membrane, but those channels close until the receptor protein detects the stimulus it is looking for.

Then, when you feel cold or hot, the proteins involved allow the substance to pass through the membrane. This process activates an electrical signal that is sent to the brain, such as a message that says “the tongue’s cold receptors have been activated.”

False key and sexual stimulation

Using a simpler metaphor, it’s as if the tongue’s cold receiver is a lock that can only be opened with a key: the icy stuff. But menthol has a kind of “pseudo-key” that causes the lock to open and the brain interprets this as a cold sensation in the mouth.

Your tongue isn’t really cold. if doubtJust suck on the mint to see that it stays the same temperature.

“Our main reason Lots of sensitivity in the mouth, eyes, and nose in the face of pepper and menthol because the nerve endings are so close to the surface,” explains chemist Paul Wise, of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a US-based institution, in an interview with LiveScience.

Precisely because of the high sensitivity, many people use lead like black halls for oral sex, for example.

However, it is important to caution that lead is not designed for this purpose, and when in contact with organs such as the penis and vagina, it can cause unexpected reactions, such as irritation and discomfort.

Evolutionary feature of menthol

One hypothesis for the existence of menthol relates to the evolution of species: scientists believe that the ancestors of menthol plants developed their properties for the survival of the species.

This is what chemist Paul says Sagefrom the center Monel Chemical Sensations, a US-based corporation. In an interview with the site Live Scienceexplains that “plants may have evolved compounds to use as a defense mechanism, and through natural selection, they understood that some of them worked.”

Within this reasoning: plants that produced compounds that cause succulents were less likely to attract predators, because they found the sensation strange and avoided them. Thus, they were able to reproduce and spread their seeds more effectively and extend the life of their species.