Abstract
Bonito bouillon is one of the characteristic seasonings used in Japanese cuisine. We investigated the effect of flavor experience of bonito bouillon on the flavor preference of mice. The experiment was conducted by a two-bottle preference test between bonito bouillon and water, or between bonito bouillon and a 10% corn oil emulsion. It was found that had experienced the bonito bouillon-flavored diet throughout their early development had a greater preference for bonito bouillon than those that consumed the normal diet. Moreover, the mice that had experienced the bonito bouillon-flavored diet from the birth-to-weaning period had a greater preference for bonito bouillon than those consuming the bonito bouillon-flavored diet after weaning or consuming the normal diet from birth. These results suggest that pre-weaning flavor experience of the bonito bouillon-flavored diet enhanced the mice's preference for bonito bouillon.
