Vitamin preference in Drosophila

Many animals rely on taste to identify nutritious foods and to avoid the consumption of harmful substances. The tastes of macronutrients, as well as of non-caloric micronutrients such as sodium and calcium, contribute to the regulation of ingestive behavior1,2. Whether vitamins also affect feeding behavior through taste is less clear. Here, we show that the fly Drosophila melanogaster has a strong preference for consuming a vitamin-containing diet: both sexes show a preference for folic acid, whereas only females show a preference for riboflavin. Females show a preference with vitamin concentrations as low as ∼10 nM - at least 50,000-fold lower than the concentration needed for sucrose preference. This female vitamin preference requires inputs from external and internal taste organs, suggesting that post-ingestive signals, in the absence of gustatory input, are insufficient to actuate preferential consumption of vitamin-containing diets. Our studies demonstrate that vitamin perception is an important determinant of feeding behavior.