Some raw materials become so strongly identified with a specific flavor that it can be surprisingly hard to imagine them outside that category. Menthone (FEMA# 2667, CAS# 14073-97-3) is a perfect example of this category. The vast majority of this chemical is used in mint flavors and the character is so strongly peppermint that it is hard to imagine that it will not impart that distinctive peppermint aroma to any other flavor it is used in. Nevertheless menthone, in addition to a number of other chemicals with broadly related odors, such as piperitone, does play a useful minor role in quite an interesting range of flavors. Modest additions of menthone can raise many non-mint profiles out of the ordinary.
