Question

If you chew a piece of bread for a long time it tastes sweet. Why?

Answer 1

Bread is an excellent source of proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibre and complex carbohydrates.

The digestion of the food starts as soon as we put food in our mouth. Our teeth cut the food into small pieces and the salivary glands secrete saliva that mixes with these food materials. The saliva contains an enzyme called salivary amylase which hydrolyses starch into maltose.

It breaks down starch in bread into simpler sugars (maltose) which give a sweet taste, since you are chewing for a longer while, more time and more mixing, for enzymatic action and hence you perceive it as sweet.