FOOD PREFERENCES IN LAMBS AFTER EXPOSURE TO FLAVORS IN MILK

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 < 0.05) food with the flavor to which they were exposed in milk than did lambs exposed to the alternate flavor in milk. Lambs exposed to onion-flavored milk also ingested more (P < 0.05) onion-flavored food, when it was offered with unflavored food, than did lambs exposed to garlic-flavored milk. Experiences with flavors in milk did not affect (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 (P > 0.05) at all flavor concentrations.