SWEET TASTE IN THE CALF .3. BEHAVIORAL-RESPONSES TO SWEETENERS

The hedonic response to the sweeteners acesulfame-K, aspartame, fructo se, galactose, glucose, glycine, lactose, maltose, Na-saccharine, sucr ose, and xylitol was recorded in five groups of 4-16-week-old calves. The compounds were presented to the calves for 12 or 24 h in two-bottl e preference tests with tap water as one choice. Glycine (10 mM and hi gher), sucrose (20 mM and higher), and fructose concentrations were mo st preferred. Sodium-saccharine was highly preferred at and above 4 mM concentration, fructose and lactose were preferred above 40 mM, galac tose was preferred moderately, acesulfame-K and maltose were preferred inconsistently, and aspartame and xylitol were not preferred at any c oncentration. The change of preference during the tests was also studi ed. Three types of consumption changes were observed. 1) Increased pre ference of the tastant during consumption, seen during sucrose and, to lesser a extent, fructose consumption. 2) Initial high preference for the tastants, diminishing during the test period, observed with fruct ose, galactose, glucose, glycine, lactose, and maltose, 3) Initial lar ge fluctuations in consumption from the two bottles, but no change in overall preference. This pattern was seen with xylitol and aspartame. This technique seems to offer a method to assess the long-term prefere nce for a compound within one relatively short two-bottle preference s ession.