Human saliva as a cleaning agent for dirty surfaces

Abstract

The use of human saliva to clean dirty surfaces has been an intuitive practice for many generations. The authors have established the scientific basis for this practice by means of qualitative tests and chromatographic techniques. α-amylasewas found to be the main constituent responsible for the cleaning power of saliva and therefore amylasic preparations obtained from bread or from microorganisms were tested as saliva substitutes.