Rats display a robust bimodal preference profile for sucralose

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Sensory Science
• Consumer Science

Background:

• Individual differences in artificial sweetener preference exist.
• Sucralose preference in female Sprague-Dawley rats shows significant variability.
• Previous studies suggest a bimodal distribution of sucralose preference.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the robustness of sucralose preference variability across sex, estrous cycle, and rat strains.
• To determine the prevalence of sucralose preferrers (SP) and sucralose avoiders (SA) in a large rat population.
• To explore the sensory and motivational underpinnings of sucralose preference variability.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 2-bottle preference tests with water and varying sucralose concentrations.
• Utilized brief-access licking tests to assess taste responses.
• Employed water-deprivation to test avoidance robustness in sucralose avoiders (SA).

Main Results:

• Sucralose preference variability was confirmed across sex, estrous cycle, and Sprague-Dawley and Long-Evans rat strains.
• A population ratio of approximately 35% sucralose preferrers (SP) to 65% sucralose avoiders (SA) was established.
• Sucralose avoidance persisted even under conditions of water deprivation, indicating a strong taste aversion.

Conclusions:

• Sucralose preference exhibits a robust bimodal distribution in rats, driven by taste perception.
• Sucralose avoiders (SA) perceive a negative taste quality of sucralose that sucralose preferrers (SP) do not.
• The avoidance behavior in SA is not overcome by the motivation to rehydrate, highlighting a potent gustatory aversion.