Dissociation of palatability and calorie effects in learned flavor preferences

Rats acquire a preference for a flavor paired with a caloric solution over a flavor paired with a solution providing fewer or no calories. Because the palatability and the caloric value of the solutions typically covary, it is unclear which property of the high-calorie solution reinforces the flavor preference. Two studies were conducted to assess the independent effects of palatability and calories in flavor preference conditioning. In Experiment 1, rats consumed two distinctively flavored solutions having equal palatability but different caloric value. The flavor paired with ingestion of more calories was subsequently preferred, indicating that a caloric advantage is sufficient to establish a flavor preference (flavor-calorie conditioning). In Experiment 2, rats consumed two distinctively flavored solutions having equal calories but different palatability. The flavor paired with the more palatable solution was subsequently preferred, indicating that a palatability advantage is sufficient to establish a flavor preference (flavor-flavor conditioning). This finding demonstrates flavor-flavor conditioning in the context of postingestive stimulation by calories. Taken together, these results demonstrate both flavor-calorie and flavor-flavor conditioning in the context of normal ingestion (i.e., self-paced oral intake of nutritive solutions).