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APPETITE, OBESITY, DIGESTION, AND METABOLISM

Taste and acceptance of pyrophosphates by rats and mice

¹Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia; and ²Department of Psychology, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania

Submitted 12 December 2006 ; accepted in final form 27 February 2007

The palatability and taste quality of pyrophosphates were evaluated in a series of behavioral and electrophysiological experiments. In two-bottle choice tests with water, rats strongly preferred some concentrations of Na₃HP₂O₇ and Na₄P₂O₇, moderately preferred some concentrations of K₄P₂O₇ and Fe₄(P₂O₇)₃, and were indifferent to or avoided all concentrations of Ca₂P₂O₇ and Na₂H₂P₂O₇. The contribution of sodium to the preference for sodium pyrophosphates was ascertained: 1) Rats with a choice between Na₄P₂O₇ and NaCl preferred 1 mM Na₄P₂O₇ to 4 mM NaCl but preferred 40 or 150 mM NaCl to 10 mM Na₄P₂O₇, 2) blocking salt taste transduction by mixing Na₄P₂O₇ with amiloride reduced preferences but did not eliminate them, and 3) three mouse strains (FVB/J, C57BL/6J, and CBA/J) known to differ in sodium preference had the same rank order of preferences for Na₃HP₂O₇ and NaCl, but peak preferences were higher for Na₃HP₂O₇ than for NaCl. The taste qualities of pyrophosphates were determined by measuring taste-evoked responses of neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract of rats. Across-neuron patterns of activity for sodium pyrophosphates were similar to that of NaCl but the pattern of Na₃HP₂O₇ plus amiloride was unique from those of sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami stimuli. Taken together, the results indicate that the high palatability of some concentrations of Na₃HP₂O₇ and Na₄P₂O₇ is due partially to their salty taste, but there must also be another cause, which may include a novel orosensory component distinct from the five major taste qualities.

two-bottle preference test; gustatory electrophysiology; sodium; taste quality