Capillary breakup extensional properties of whole human saliva

Saliva studies are of great interest in the area of biorheology. This human body fluid plays an essential role in dysphagia since it is directly related to the swallowing process and to the rheology of food bolus. The aim of this work was to discuss the capillary breakup extensional properties of acidic and mechanically stimulated human saliva, and to point out the effect of saliva centrifugation on the elasticity of xanthan based solutions. Extensional rheology of alpha-amylase substitute solution was also studied and compared to whole human saliva through CaBER experiments (Capillary Break-up Extensional Rheometer). Results provided a general view about the complexity of this biofluid and highlighted the usefulness of CaBER device in achieving fast results concerning the elongational properties of human saliva.