Why does food’s taste fade away the more we chew it?

Question

Why does food’s taste fade away the more we chew it?

In: Biology

Answer 1

I’ll add the some food’s tastes will grow as we chew them. Our saliva contains a chemical called “amylase” which digests carbohydrates into simple sugars. If you eat a bland, starchy food, like crackers, unsweetened oatmeal, or raw potato, and chew it for ~1 min it will start to taste richer and sweeter. This isn’t a brainfluke, this is your saliva breaking down the complex starches into simpler, sweeter sugars.