Antioxidants are natural ingredients in food, which protect the body's cells against hazardous influences. Their task, in particular, is to neutralize so-called free radicals, which are often caused by oxidation and are responsible for the degeneration of cells. Scientists from the Max-Planck institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany and the Lund University in Sweden have recently shown that fruit flies can smell and detect the presence of these protective substances, reports the German website Gabot.de. Odours caused by the microbial degradation of these nutritional components attract the flies, increase their appetite and stimulate the females to deposit their eggs.
Hydroxy acids are secondary plant substances and are among the most important natural antioxidants in food. They can mostly be found in fruits. Fruit flies cannot directly smell hydroxy acids. Through the activity of yeast, antioxidants are part of the metabolism and the emergence of ethylphenols. These substances activate targeted olfactory neurons, which are located in the fruit flies mouth, called 'maxilla', and produce the odour receptor Or71a.