Attraction potentials of sugars and related compounds have been statistically estimated in an olfactometer on the basis of exploratory and feeding behavior in oriental weatherfish, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Harada et al., 1994). Six monosaccharides, three disaccharides, six sugar alcohols, six glycosides and two artificial sweeteners have been tested. Among them, fructose, glycyrrhizin, aspartame and rebaudioside, especially the last, show the higher attractivity. Using the same technique, Harada et al. (1995) have studied the attractivity of the foregoing sugars and related compounds for yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata, discovering that galactose, maltose and glycyrrhizin are highly attractive for this fish.

Somewhat earlier, Rottiers & Lemm (1985) have found that juvenile walleyes, Stizostedion vitreum, are attracted by sucrose solution in the Y-shaped olfactometer.

It is important to underline that olfactory responses of fish do not correlate with their gustatory, first of all intraoral responses to the same substanses (Kasumyan & Døving, 2003; Hara, 2006). In carp, Cyprinus carpio, for example, amino acids (alanine, valine and leucine) most attractive in the olfactometer experiments (Saglio et al., 1990) are not matched with amino acids (cysteine, proline, glutamic and aspartic acids) most attractive as ingredients in the palatable agar-agar pellets (Kasumyan & Morsi, 1996; see also Wood & Azócar, 2013).

Sucrosa is an indifferent gustatory stimulus for carp (Kasumyan & Morsi, 1996).

According to Kasumyan & Døving (2003) and Isaeva (2007), sucrosa as gustatory stimulus is also indifferent for many other cyprinid (Cyprinidae) fish such as tench Tinca tinca, bitterling Rhodeus sericeus amarus, lake bleak Leucaspius delineatus, crucian Carassius carassius, goldfish Carassius auratus, chub Leuciscus cephalus, European minnow Phoxinus phoxinus and bream Abramis brama, in the experiments with the agar-agar pellets. Sucrosa as gustatory stimulus is only positive for roach Rurilus rutilus, grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella as well as for guppy Poecilia reticulata (Poeciliidae) (Kasumyan & Døving, 2003) which eat the most large amount of vegetable food.

According to Chervova & Lapshin (2005), external parts of the head in C. carpio (such as the center of the upper lip) is less sensitive (3 orders of magnitude) to saccharosa than to cysteine.

Basic References

Chervova L.S., Lapshin D.N. 2005. The threshold sensitivity of external chemoreceptor in carp Cyprinus carpio to amino acids and classical gustatory substances. Journal of Ichthyology 45, S307-S314

Hara T.J. 2006. Feeding behaviour in some teleosts is triggered by single amino acids primarily through olfaction. Journal of Fish Biology 68, 810-825

Harada K., Miyasaki T., Tamura Y. 1994. Attractivity of sugars and related compounds for the oriental weatherfish Misgurnus anguillicaudatus. Fisheries Science 60, 643-645

Harada K., Miyasaki T., Tamura Y. 1995. Attraction of yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata for sugars and related compounds. Aquaculture Science 43, 51-55

Isaeva O.M. 2007. Taste preferences and taste behaviour of cyprinid fish. Moscow Lomonosov State University, Moscow, 1-25

Kasumyan A.O., Døving K.B. 2003. Taste preferences in fishes. Fish and Fisheries 4, 289-347

Kasumyan O.A., Morsi A.M.K. 1996. Taste Sensitivity of common carp Cyprinus Carpio to free amino acids and classical taste substances. Journal of Ichthyology 36, 391-403

Rottiers D.V., Lemm C.A. 1985. Movement of underyearling walleyes in response to odor and visual cues. The Progressive Fish-Culturist 47, 34-41

Saglio P., Fauconneau B., Blanc J.M. 1990. Orientation of carp, Cyprinm carpio L., to free amino acids from Tubifex extract in an olfactometer. Journal of Fish Biology 37, 887-898

Wood J.D., Azócar P.S.A. 2013. Gustatory response of common carp Cyprinus carpio to variable concentrations of two stimulatory amino acids. Croatian Journal of Fisheries 71, 1-10