Effects of Filtration and Source of Maltodextrin on Concentration-Dependent Licking by Mice in a Brief Access Test

After the discontinuation of Polycose, the most commonly used maltodextrin in past taste research, investigators have had to rely on other sources. Two newer sources, marketed as replacements, are Maltrin M580 by Grain Processing Corp. and SolCarb by Medica Nutrition. Due to their unique recipes and production methods, it is not possible to say whether the two maltodextrin sources are the same, or even similar, without behavioral tests or chemical analyses directly comparing the two. However, these are not pure stimuli and may contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or other contaminants. Here both Maltrin and SolCarb underwent vacuum filtration using a Neo-Pure CTOV-2510 Carbon Block Filter. The solutions, both filtered and unfiltered, were then presented to mice at varying concentrations in a brief-access test over the course of two weeks to determine if mice 1) treated the two sources of maltodextrins differently (measured using lick responses) or 2) altered their lick responses based on filtration. It was found that the source of maltodextrin had little impact on the lick responses of mice, though mice did appear to initiate more trials to Maltrin during the first week of testing. Filtration had a significant effect on lick response in both the first week and across the two-week period. Nevertheless, these effects were modest at best and the results suggest that both Maltrin and SolCarb can reliably be used in maltodextrin research.