EVIDENCE THAT SALIVARY PROTEINS ARE INVOLVED IN ASTRINGENCY

Proteins in saliva samples taken from twelve subjects immediately befo re and immediately after tasting astringent solutions were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Although considerable variati on in both the qualitative and quantitative protein pattern was observ ed among individuals, three peaks appeared to be common to the majorit y of the chromatograms. The tasting of the astringent solutions result ed in detectable changes in the protein profile of the saliva samples, observed in all the chromatograms examined, and attributed to the int eractions of the saliva proteins with the astringent phenolic compound s. The appearance of a major peak at 8 min after the tasting of the as tringent compounds common to most of the saliva chromatograms was attr ibuted to the formation of soluble protein-phenol complexes.