Objective To explore the mechanism underlying perception of texture of starch-containing thickened fluids by α-amylase in saliva.Methods This work characterizes the rheological and textural properties of a starch-containing thickened fluid in the presence of authentic saliva or artificial saliva containing α-amylase.Results Dynamic rheological test results show that the presence of α-amylase in saliva can reduce the viscoelasticity of the starch-containing thickened fluid, and the loss factor of the gel system increases with an increase in the concentration of α-amylase. Static rheological test results reveal that α-amylase enhances both the apparent viscosity coefficient K and the thixotropic loop area of the starch-containing thickened fluid. Examination of texture reveals no notable disparities in the texture of the authentic saliva (without/with enzyme inactivation) group, in contrast to the significant variances seen in the artificial saliva (without/with enzyme) group. There is a marked reduction in the hardness and chewiness of the enzyme-added system.Conclusion The findings indicate that α-amylase decomposes starch in the starch-containing thickened fluid into small molecules such as oligosaccharides, resulting in the disintegration of the three-dimensional gel network linking starch and pectin.