Non-Nutritive Polyol Sweeteners Differ in Insecticidal Activity When Ingested by Adult Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Issue 1 (7th June 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: O'Donnell, Sean; Baudier, Kaitlin; Marenda, Daniel R.
• Is Part Of: Journal of insect science. Volume 16:Issue 1(2016)
• Publication Date: 2016-06-07
• Subjects: erythritol -- human-safe insecticide -- maltitol -- D-mannitol -- xylitol; Insects -- Periodicals; Entomology -- Periodicals; Arthropoda -- Periodicals; Insects; Arthropods; Biology; Ecology; Entomologie -- Périodiques; Entomology; Insects; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 595.05
• DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iew031
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1536-2442

Abstract

Abstract: Previous work showed the non-nutritive polyol sweetener Erythritol was toxic when ingested by Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen, 1930). This study assessed whether insect toxicity is a general property of polyols. Among tested compounds, toxicity was highest for erythritol. Adult fruit flies ( D. melanogaster ) fed erythritol had reduced longevity relative to controls. Other polyols did not reduce longevity; the only exception was a weaker but significant reduction of female (but not male) longevity when flies were fed D-mannitol. We conclude at least some non-nutritive polyols are not toxic to adult D. melanogaster when ingested for 17 days. The longer time course (relative to erythritol) and female specificity of D-mannitol mortality suggests different mechanisms for D-mannitol and erythritol toxicity to D. melanogaster .