Tap hole pellets

[Mark]

Does anyone know the timeline of the invention of the pellets and when they were outlawed? And a little history about some producers being caught using them. I am getting an increase in the questions of formaldehyde and need to come up with an accurate answer.
People see someone advertising that theirs is formaldehyde free and then assume someone else does. I would like to come up with an explanation that would not perpetuate the idea they are still used.

I got two calls this morning about formaldehyde. One guy thought it was a patch that we put on the tree and another thought it was used to close the tap hole at the end of the season. I told them that tap hole pellets were outlawed and I was confident that no one uses them. One response was that he had been doing research and it sounded like he did not believe me.

[Dill]

This is my one major gripe with the organic syrup industry. They should not be allowed to advertise they are formaldehyde free when everyone else is as well.
I'm going to out a sticker on my jugs with " UR 238 free"

[Mark]

Ok, I guess I will bite on that. What is PL235 and UR 238? Uranium?

[mapleack]

Drives me nuts too, some moron picked up on it, advertised it and now it won't go away.

[Dill]

Ok, I guess I will bite on that. What is PL235 and UR 238? Uranium?
I actually got that backwards It UR235 and PL238 but those are the fissionable isotopes. This is why my wife is the nuke engineer and not me.
But anyway my point is why advertise what isn't there anyway? Its like another producer in town who isn't on vac, trying to make a case its bad for the trees, and their syrup is better because of this. When the reason they aren't using vac is they are just too cheap.

[TimJ]

I keep getting questions from people about this and had to hunt to find someone who actually knew what they were or knew people who used to use them. There must be some group of organic folks who are perpetuating this for some reason. It is nonsense.

I tried to explain that the thing they should be asking is lead-free - but I did not want to open that can of worms...

Marketing works I guess.

[markcasper]

I had a customer once that asked if it was boiled on oil fire or wood. The lady was glad when I told her wood-fired because she bought some once from an oil fired producer and claimed it tasted like fuel oil.

[ennismaple]

Production of PFA tablets was banned in 1993. Funny, I had someone ask the same question yesterday.

[Mark]

I would have thought they were banned long before that. I only remember them from the late 70's, but I missed a few years sugaring.

[Dill]

I thought it was much eariler as well.
Just googling now. It seems that most of the articles that come up are linked back to this one.
There are also ones complaining about the use of tubing and only having syrup from a hard wood fire.


http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/nutri/matter/2006-08.asp
There’s also the issue of formaldehyde. Yes, formaldehyde. Years ago, formaldehyde was fairly common in maple syrup production. When farmers tap trees, the taphole closes naturally after 4 or 6 weeks. Farmers would place formaldehyde pellets into tapholes to keep the holes from closing so the sap would continue to flow; it’s a lot less work to drill a hole only once during the season, after all. At the end of the season, any remnants of pellets, which dissolved gradually, would be removed, and the holes would then close. I’ve also read that formaldehyde pellets would reduce bacteria in the collected sap and result in a lighter-colored syrup, which many Americans prefer. Since the 1990’s in the U.S. and slightly later in Canada, the use of formaldehyde in maple syrup production has been strictly forbidden, but reports on the prevalence of its use are contradictory. L.B. Maple Treat, a Canadian producer, states that producers (at least in Canada) are subject to regular government inspection without advance notice, and “as far as we know no one uses formaldehyde any more.” However, some organic producers and several websites claim that there’s “an alarming presence” of the use of formaldehyde. Organic producers of maple syrup are subject to stringent inspections, and it would be exceptionally difficult, if not outright impossible, for them to use formaldehyde without being caught or having its presence detected.

[DrTimPerkins]

I would have thought they were banned long before that. I only remember them from the late 70's, but I missed a few years sugaring.

The 1993 date is for banning production of the PFA tablet in Canada. There were a few black-market producers of PFA pellets until at least 2003. I don't recall the exact dates, but PFA was banned in various U.S. states FAR earlier than 1993. PFA was never approved for use in Vermont, as it was considered adulteration by the VT Dept (now Agency) of Agriculture. PFA has been illegal throughout the U.S. for some time now because the EPA exemption for formaldehyde residue in maple syrup expired (since nobody was making or using it any longer, nobody asked for the exemption to be continued). At that point, only "naturally-occurring" residue levels of formaldehyde are allowed (we spent a few years determining exactly what that level was). There is some extremely miniscule background level of formaldehyde in all syrup (caused by heating of sugar and other sap constituents), whether it is organic and non-organic syrup. Interesting review done many years ago by Dr. MF Morselli at http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/antimicrobial.pdf

[ennismaple]

I agree with what Dill said - there appears to be some organic certified producers who claim their syrup is better because they don't use PFA but other non-organic certififed producers might still use it. They're simply relying on the consumer's lack of knowledge to try and differentiate their product. Not an outright lie but can be misleading.

[mellondome]

and it all starts with sites like this http://www.organicfooddirectory.com.au/organic-food/sweeteners/organic-syrups.html

Want to be purists will read this and believe every word. Any search on the web for organic maple syrup will give you information that formaldehyde used to be used but is not allowed in organic. they are very subtle in stating that it is illegal for everyone in the industry.

Marketing 101... and it works.

[Dill]

Heck that site isn't subtle at all. They just lie
Organic maple syrup collection cannot use formaldehyde in the tapping of trees whereas conventional tree tapping uses formaldehyde.

[batsofbedlam]

I used the paraformaldehyde tablets for a few years when they were the "IN" thing. A few of the dead Sugar Maples are still standing.

[happy thoughts]

and it all starts with sites like this http://www.organicfooddirectory.com.au/organic-food/sweeteners/organic-syrups.html

Want to be purists will read this and believe every word. Any search on the web for organic maple syrup will give you information that formaldehyde used to be used but is not allowed in organic. they are very subtle in stating that it is illegal for everyone in the industry.

Marketing 101... and it works.

Maybe it's because the site is based in Australia, where no maple syrup is made, that their info is a little screwy?? Anyhow, there's a feed back form on that site.

http://www.organicfooddirectory.com.au/contact-us.html

I've already popped them off a polite note asking for a correction. Others should do likewise. I'll let you know if I get any feedback to my feedback.

[ennismaple]

That is an outright lie. I emailed them too and included a link to the Canadian legislation that confirm the MRL for PFA is zero.