Chemical Senses Advance Access originally published online on May 7, 2009
Chemical Senses 2009 34(6):487-498; doi:10.1093/chemse/bjp023
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Orosensory Responsiveness to and Preference for Hydroxide-Containing Salts in Mice
1 Department of Psychology, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL 32789, USA 2 Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
Correspondence to be sent to: Steven J. St. John, Department of Psychology, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL 32789, USA. e-mail: sstjohn{at}rollins.edu
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Abstract |
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Historically, taste researchers have considered the possibility that the gustatory system detects basic compounds, such as those containing the hydroxide ion, but evidence for an "alkaline taste" has not been strong. We found that, in 48 h, 2-bottle preference tests, C3HeB/FeJ (C3) mice showed a preference for Ca(OH)2, whereas SWR/J (SW) mice showed avoidance. Strain differences were also apparent to NaOH but not CaCl2. Follow-up studies showed that the strain difference for Ca(OH)2 was stable over time (Experiment 2) but that C3 and SW mice did not differ in their responses to Ca(OH)2 or NaOH in brief-access tests, where both mice avoided high concentrations of these compounds (Experiment 3). In order to assess the perceived quality of Ca(OH)2, mice were tested in 2 taste aversion generalization experiments (Experiments 4 and 5). Aversions to Ca(OH)2 generalized to NaOH but not CaCl2 in both strains, suggesting that the generalization was based on the hydroxide ion. Both strains also generalized aversions to quinine, suggesting the possibility that the hydroxide ion has a bitter taste quality to these mice, despite the preference shown by C3 mice to middle concentrations in long-term tests.
Key words: astringency, basic, calcium, mice, pH, taste
Accepted 5 April 2009