Surface properties of adsorbed salivary components at a solid hydrophobic surface using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D)

Saliva is a human biological fluid that consists of many inorganic and organic substances such as salivary proteins, which play many roles during the consumption of foods. Some of these roles are not well understood while others still remain unknown. Very recent study from this group showed that saliva can function as an effective emulsifier during oral processing of dietary lipids. Therefore, our aim in this work was to establish surface functionality of salivary components at molecular level by using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) technique. Both unstimulated saliva and unstimulated dialyzed saliva were studied for their adsorption at a solid hydrophobic surface (SiO2), so that the role of smaller molecular weight salivary components can be examined. Based on the current model system, it was found that large molecular weight components of saliva play a compatibilizing role between water and oil. This allows adhesion to oral tissue surfaces, and could have implications for the perception of oil/fat inside the mouth.