ABSTRACT Peppermint flavour is extensively utilised in food products not only for its pleasant taste profile but also for its cooling and refreshing properties. The olfactory pathway, recognised as a crucial route for flavour perception. However, there are currently few studies on the refreshing effect and mechanism of peppermint flavour through the olfactory pathway. To address this issue, we established a mental fatigue model using a long‐term mixed N‐back task and evaluated the mental fatigue alleviation effect of peppermint flavour and its possible mechanisms by combining the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), electroencephalogram (EEG), and molecular docking (MD). The results show that 50% peppermint essential oil (PEO) can significantly alleviate mental fatigue, as evidenced by a reduction in the KSS score from 8 to 4 points, and higher accuracy rates in the 2‐Back and 3‐Back tasks compared to the fatigue state. EEG analysis indicated that PEO alleviated mental fatigue‐related EEG patterns, with a decrease in α band power and an increase in β band power ( p < 0.05). Moreover, menthol (the main compound in PEO) could achieve similar effects. The results of MD further revealed that menthol has a high affinity for olfactory receptors (such as OR1A1) and refreshing‐related target proteins (ADORA2A, SIRT1, TRPM8), suggesting that it may exert a refreshing effect through multiple pathways. This study provides a scientific basis for developing functional peppermint‐flavoured foods, enriching theories of functional flavour‐regulated cognition.
Zhang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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