Perception of starch texture is shaped by variability in the activity of an oral enzyme known as salivary amylase, according to researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.

According to Abigail Mandel, whether or not starchy foods, such as porridge oats, for instance, feel pleasant in the mouth can affect a person’s nutritional status by influencing what they enjoy eating. They have now linked genetic variations with enzyme concentration and activity. Understanding variability will guide food chemists in developing nutritional products that are just right.

• Individual Differences in AMY1 Gene Copy Number, Salivary ?-Amylase Levels, and the Perception of Oral Starch,
  Abigail L Mandel, Catherine Peyrot des Gachons, Kimberly L Plank,Suzanne Alarcon, Paul A S Breslin,
  PLoS ONE 2010.
  DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013352