Food preferences in lambs after exposure to flavors in milk

Abstract This study determined whether experience with onion- or garlic-flavored milk affected intake of foods with those flavors. Orphaned lambs were exposed from 2 to 3 days of age for 50 days to either onion- or garlic-flavored milk at a 0.1% concentration. Lambs were then offered a choice of (1) onion- and garlic-flavored food; (2) onion-flavored and unflavored food; (3) garlic-flavored and unflavored food. Intake of foods offered in single choice tests with each flavor at concentrations of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16% was also measured. Although all lambs ingested more onion-flavored food than garlic-flavored food, they ate relatively more ( P P P >0.05) intake of garlic-flavored food when offered with unflavored food. Regardless of which flavor they were exposed to in milk, intake of onion- and garlic-flavored food offered alone was similar