When sucrose detection thresholds were examined, neither expectorated nor swallowed taste detection thresholds were significant predictors of the reinforcing value of food nor were any of the other predictor variables (all p>0.40). The method of sampling was a significant predictor of detection threshold with swallowed threshold (mean=1.04) being lower than the expectorated threshold (mean=1.41; t (1,34)=2.1, p=0.042).