Food texture perception is unique for all individuals--study
POSTED October 15, 2010 - 12:26 | POSTED BY neha gupta
Last edited by Silky Chandvani on October 15, 2010 - 16:19
An individual’s preference for food is shaped by the variability in the activity of an oral enzyme known as salivary amylase.
"Differences in starch perception likely affect people's nutritional status by influencing their liking for and intake of starchy and starch-thickened foods," said lead author Abigail Mandel.
Saliva secretes amylase enzyme which helps in breaking down the starch into simpler sugar molecules.
These molecules are ultimately absorbed into the bloodstream and thus influence blood glucose levels.
The alteration in the starch consistency in our mouth is directly correlated to the salivary amylase activity, the study confirms.
An everyday dietary ingredient, starch is found in wheat, corn, rice, and potatoes and represents between 40 and 60 percent of our calorie intake.
Saliva samples tested
The study looked at the saliva samples of 73 people. Taking the help of various tests, the enzyme levels and activity were measured by the researchers.
In the first step, each person's saliva was mixed with a standardized starch sample and a sensor was used to measure the enzymatic breakdown of the starch's consistency.
Secondly, enzyme and protein assays were directly implied to measure the amount and activity of salivary amylase in the saliva samples.
Finally, subjects were made to complete continuous evaluations over a 60-second interval to rate the perceived breakdown of a starch sample while in the mouth.
Study revelations
"Taken together, this means that foods with different starch levels will be perceived very differently by people as a function of how much salivary amylase they produce. What may seem like a thick and resistant pudding or starchy food to some may seem noticeably thin in the mouths of others," said Paul A. S. Breslin of Monell Center.
It is believed that a higher quantity of salivary amylase gives a faster breaking of starchy foods and a higher post-meal blood glucose level can help in better understanding metabolic disorders.
“A link from genetic variation to enzymatic proteins to altered physiology to oral perception of textures is quite novel and provides a complete story,” added Breslin.
The study was reported in the journal 'PLoS ONE.'
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