Saliva samples were used as alternative specimens for alcohol determination in the human body. The ingestion of orange juice, milk, non-fat milk, glucose solution, fructose solution, skim milk, or soybean protein shakes before the consumption of ethanol resulted in a lower, delayed alcohol concentration peak in the saliva, while butter and green tea showed almost no effects on the absorption process of ethanol. The larger the content of sugars, skim milk powder, or soybean protein, the greater the diminution of peak alcohol concentration. There was no difference between sake and ethanol solution with respect to the profiles of changes in saliva ethanol concentration when the samples were taken all at once, suggesting that there was no matrix effect. However, when they were taken at certain intervals, the ingestion of sake resulted in lower alcohol concentrations in saliva through the analysis, as compared to that of ethanol solution.
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