This saliva contains a special ingredient called mucin, which is a protein that loves to soak up water, creating a kind of gel which forms a thin, protective coating all over your mouth parts.
It took four years for Adam and his colleagues at the CUNY Graduate Center — and later his company — to go from the idea of making synthetic mucin to actually holding a vial full of the stuff.
At this point they can produce five grams a month of pure synthetic mucin powder — about the same amount you'd find in 13 gallons of snail mucus because mucus is mostly water.
For example, the essential amino acid, we'll just pick a brain one, tryptophan for serotonin production, or threonine for mucin production in the gut, which helps the gut lining, or, you know, take your pick, phenylalanine.
Some of these mucins can interact with other mucin molecules to create a complex network that establishes a barrier against pathogens and other invaders.