Taste preference and acceptance in thirsty and rehydrated [correction of dehydrated] rats.

Experiments were designed to determine whether water deprivation affects taste preferences and/or taste acceptance. In experiment 1, both five- and two-bottle preference tests were performed in normally hydrated rats to permit the selection of five groups of rats showing the same taste preference for one of four prototypical tastes. Subsequently, in the same groups of rats, taste preferences were determined by a two-bottle test (experiment 2), and taste acceptance by a one-bottle test (experiment 3), following 12, 24, 36, and 48 h of water deprivation. After both 12 and 24 h of dehydration, during the first 10 min of the tests of experiment 2, all rats ingested greater volumes of either NaCl or sucrose solution than water, but more water than either HCl or quinine solution, and the differences were very significant (P<.0001). After 36 or 48 h of dehydration, the differences became very small and, in some cases, the P-values were at the lowest or borderline level of the significance, suggesting that dehydrated rats poorly discriminate the nature of the fluid drunk. During the 11-60 min interval, all rats preferred either sucrose or NaCl to water, but water to either HCl or quinine. Experiment 3 was performed to ascertain whether the need for fluid might overcome the palatability of solutions. All rats, dehydrated for 36 or 48 h, after 10 min of exposure, drank equal amounts of fluid, independent of its palatability. During the 11-20 and 21-60 min interval, the fluid intake of rats changed in accordance with the palatability of the solution available. In conclusion, severe thirst in rats may override the palatability of the solutions, and the thirst drive may be so strong that they do not reject fluids because body fluid balance would be severely compromised.