Taste preferences of squirrel monkeys and bonnet macaques for Polycose, maltose and sucrose.

The taste preferences of adult male squirrel monkeys and bonnet macaques for Polycose, maltose, and sucrose solutions were compared in 24 hr/day solution vs. water tests. Solution concentrations of 0.01 M, 0.05 M, 0.10 M, and 0.20 (Polycose) or 0.50 M (maltose and sucrose) were tested. The squirrel monkeys displayed a stronger preference for sucrose than for maltose or Polycose. In fact, at most concentrations tested, the squirrel monkeys did not consume more maltose or Polycose than water. The bonnet macaque monkeys, on the other hand, displayed preferences for maltose and Polycose that were as strong as their sucrose preference. Also, the bonnet macaques' maltose and Polycose preferences exceeded those of the squirrel monkeys. The two species did not reliably differ in their sucrose preferences. The results suggest that bonnet macaques, like rats, have taste receptors for starch-derived polysaccharides, whereas the squirrel monkeys, like humans, may lack such receptors. The taste preference profiles are consistent with the natural food preferences of the two monkey species.