Comparison of Amylases in Animal and Human Saliva Samples

In addition to our various synthetic amylases, we also compared those of different animals and of humans. We received very interesting results.

We had no information about the differences between

different animals’ amylase activity.

Because of the different digestive processes of both herbivores and carnivores, we hypothesized that such differences would exist and would be measurableWe were convinced that a dog’s amylase activity level would be much lower than an herbivore’s because its diet included much lower levels of starch. Our measurements showed the opposite. Especially sheep and cow, but also horse saliva samples, had measurably less amylase activity than dog or human saliva samples. We began to search for an explanation. We found it in our animal husbandry textbook: Cows and sheep are ruminant animals and have microbes in their first stomach (paunch) that make the deconstruction of starches possible.

Horses, which also have a diet of hard to digest plant materials, have an enlarged appendix instead of a paunch to help them as a proofing box and can play a

role in the deconstruction of starches.

The result of our photometer tests offered more interesting information. The time of the sample collection also had an affect on the results: Was the sample taken before or after tooth brushing or eating or while the subject was hungry and smelling appetizing food?

Exact, absolute data on the relative activity of the amylase samples was impossible due to the imprecise nature of our methods. The amylase concentration also fluctuated greatly during the day.