Distinct patterns of multisensory integration underly the expression of flavor preferences and aversions in rats

In rats, maximum likelihood estimation explains how palatable taste and odor components are weighted in flavor preferences, but it does not increase the reliability of those multisensory preference judgments.

• Why it matters: Flavor choices require integrating taste and retronasal odor, yet quantitative rules for how this integration operates—especially when components differ in palatability—were unclear.
• What they did: Rats completed two-bottle preference tests with amyl acetate plus either sucrose or citric acid, while taste reliability was varied using two taste concentrations; preference reliability was measured as variance across repeated judgments.
• The result: For mixtures with palatable taste, component preferences combine as a reliability-weighted average, consistent with MLE, but multisensory preference reliability does not improve; for unpalatable taste, taste and smell integration instead enhances flavor rejection.

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