Genetics - What Do Fruit Flies Taste Like?

Researchers have used genetics to discover that fruit flies have taste receptors and that they prefer sugar and amino acids. They also found that they dislike bitter foods and avoid sour ones. Scientists suspect that fruit flies may have the same taste receptors as humans. While no one is certain, the findings do support previous studies.

Fruit flies can detect carbon dioxide dissolved in water and are attracted to the odor of rotting fruit. Since these flies feed on a variety of organisms, they taste similar to the food they eat. Their taste may be crunchy, acrid, or even bitter, depending on the type of food they have been eating.

The drosophila melanogaster possesses 68 genes that code for taste receptors. Of these, seven genes are found to code for the gustatory receptors. Five of these genes are located on a taste neuron with the sixth receptor, and the seventh gene occurs on its own.

The drosophila melanogaster can discriminate between several sugars, including glucose and fructose. This ability is based on the difference between the concentrations of sugars and the intensity at which they are perceived. In the case of fructose, higher concentrations are considered more acceptable and lower ones are considered unpleasant.