Hydrolysis of sucrose octa-acetate: qualitative differences in taster and demistaster avoidance phenotypes

Calcium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide were used to hydrolyse sucrose octa-acetate (SOA) as a means of evaluating the taster (Soaa) and demitaster (Soac) allelic phenotypes of the genetic locus Soa. The SWR/J (taster) inbred strain and the B6.SW Soaa (taster) congenic strain were demonstrated to cease avoiding upon nearly complete hydrolysis of 10(-5) M SOA with calcium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide and of 10(-4) M SOA with calcium hydroxide. The BALB/cByJ, C3HeB/FeJ and DBA/2J (demitaster) inbred strains were demonstrated to cease avoiding after only a partial hydrolysis of 10(-3) M SOA using calcium hydroxide. It is suggested that specificity for the number or placement of the acetates of SOA underlies the difference between the taster and demitaster phenotypes.