Taste Sensitivity and Consumption Responses to Sucrose and Artificial Sweeteners in Drosophila Melanogaster and the Impact of the Microbiome

Abstract

Artificial sweeteners may alter taste sensitivity and feeding behavior, but their effects compared to natural sugars and the role of the gut microbiome in modulating these responses remain unclear. Using Drosophila melanogaster, this study compares taste sensitivity and consumption responses to erythritol (Truvia), sucralose (Splenda), and sucrose. The effect of the microbiome on the responses was tested by comparing flies with a gut microbiome (conventional) to flies without a microbiome (axenic). Taste sensitivity was assessed using the Proboscis Extension Response (PER) assay, while the Capillary Feeder (CAFE) assay was used to measure consumption. PER results revealed that sucrose elicited a significantly stronger taste response than Splenda or Truvia, with response rates increasing at higher concentrations. CAFE assays indicated that flies exhibited an aversion to Truvia, with axenic flies consuming significantly more Truvia compared to conventional flies, suggesting a significant microbiome effect. Although no microbiome effects were found in the Splenda trials, axenic flies in the Splenda treatment consumed significantly more yeast than those in the sucrose treatment, potentially compensating for the lack of calories in artificial sweeteners.

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