"Clouds" in bottled syrup

[buck3m]

Hi,

I "candle" my syrup that's bottled in glass before I sell it. I noticed several bottles with "clouds" similar to the one pictured in the upper left of this bottle.

Obviously I did something wrong with these bottles. My best guess is that it is mold that has formed because the syrup cooled too much before bottling.

My plan is to re-filter, heat to the proper temp, and re-bottle it.

Let me know what you guys think caused the problem.

[JoeJ]

It would be my advise to throw the syrup away. Don't take a chance of someone getting sick from questionable syrup

[wiam]

It would be my advise to throw the syrup away. Don't take a chance of someone getting sick from questionable syrup

No

Bring it to a boil, taste for off flavors, then refilter. If it does not have an off flavor it should be fine.

[Middleton Maples]

boil it but add a little water first so it doesn't go past syrup

[gmcooper]

Heat it and refilter it. Use a good maple syrup filter. The cloud is most likely niter. We see this every once in awhile from the tail end of a big batch going into glass. After filtering if the syrup is kept hot for an extended period after filtering under the right conditions you can get some niter forming. The only time I have seen this is when I am packing 15-20 gallons syrup into small glass bottles. Usually try not to have to pack that much glass in one batch as I am slower bottling glass than plastic.

[happy thoughts]

No

Bring it to a boil, taste for off flavors, then refilter. If it does not have an off flavor it should be fine.

If it's forming from the top then what you are seeing is most likely mold. Niter would have settled to the bottom.

What Wiam said is worth a try as mold will be killed if reboiled for at least a few minutes. I would also add a little water as someone else suggested if the syrup was already at the right density. If it were me, I'd reserve this batch for my own use.

As for what went wrong, you're probably right about allowing syrup to stand too long so it was too cool for a good seal to form, but your caps and jars may also be at fault if they sat out open to air for any length of time before bottling. Since I reuse glass jars I treat them just as I would for canning- a thorough cleansing then boiling for 15 minutes just before they are filled and sealed. I leave them in hot water until I'm ready to fill them. Some people put them in a warm oven. Metal caps get boiled in the same way. Clean plastic caps and canning jar lids get a quick dip in boiling water just before sealing.

[adk1]

I would never throw away syrup! Before making my own, I had purchased some syrup from a local producer and after 6 months I noticed mold in it as I poured it off. Of course it was partly my fault as I never refridgerated the syrup after opening it. I just put it in a pan, brought it up to 200 degrees, skimmed off the mold/foam and put it into a new clear jar. Didnt have any off flavors or anything.
One thing I would add is, did you bring the syrup up to at least 200 degrees before putting it into that mason jar? did you preheat the mason jar? From what I have learned, when you bottle in glass, you have to heat the syrup up higher than the 180 degree mark before bottling because the glass cools down allot faster and may not have the time needed to kill anything in the jar.

[DrTimPerkins]

Bring it to a boil, taste for off flavors, then refilter. If it does not have an off flavor it should be fine.

The new recommendation is to discard molded syrup it if it is something to be sold to customers. The reason is that some people have very severe allergic reactions to mold, and consuming a product that has mold (even if boiled) could be life-threatening. Now that said....if you and your family aren't allergic to mold, then using the old recommendations and using the syrup for your personal use is fine.

There is a study ongoing in Maine (sponsored by the NAMSC) to indentify the different organims that grow in syrup, and to determine whether they produce any toxins.

[wiam]

Thank you Dr Tim for that info.:)

[JoeJ]

Thank you Dr Perkins. Like I said on 12-02, I would advise throwing away the moldy syrup.

[buck3m]

Throwing away any syrup that has been exposed to mold at some point in the process from tree to container seems like it would result in the majority of syrup being thrown away:

"Low mould counts in maple tapholes have been found early in the sap season when the count of all microorganisms is quite low." http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/05-031.htm Anyone ever seen spots of mold in buckets, tanks, or lines? Pretty common, I think.

There has been hundreds of thousands of gallons (at least) of moldy syrup skimmed, filtered and bottled. Is there an example of someone being hospitalized because of it? Has there been lawsuits against Sugarhill for saying it's OK on their jugs? It's a serious question, because I doubt there are many drums of maple syrup thrown out after mold is found on top.

If necessary I will eat every bit of it!

[DrTimPerkins]

Being "exposed to" and being "moldy" are two very different things.

Yes, you will still find the skim and reboil recommendation on some containers, but in some places, it is quietly being taken off the label.

As for harming someone...it may not have happened (or more likely hasn't been documented), but who wants to be the first?

[buck3m]

Being "exposed to" and being "moldy" are two very different things.

Yes, you will still find the skim and reboil recommendation on some containers, but in some places, it is quietly being taken off the label.

As for harming someone...it may not have happened (or more likely hasn't been documented), but who wants to be the first?

Dr. Perkins, I do of course respect your opinion. I don't think anyone is advocating selling moldy syrup. That's why I "candle" all of my syrup and why I made the original post.

I am a firm believer in being careful, but I am also a believer in the concept of "reasonable risk." Skimming, filtering and re-bottling moldy syrup is very common and has been since way back when. If it might not have harmed anyone, ever, that's a powerful factor to consider. There are risks in nearly everything we do. Restaurants serve rare steak even though it increases the risk. Grocery stores sell raw lettuce. Airlines serve peanuts.

One of the prices we pay for pure maple syrup without preservatives is the chance it will mold at some point.

Many of us have seen the FDA's "The Food Defect Action Levels: Levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods that present no health hazards for humans." It allows, for example, 60% of berries sold to have mold on them, as long as they don't appear moldy.

[DrTimPerkins]

Please note that I am only telling you what I have seen going on in the industry. I didn't personally have any decision-making role in this action. Just telling you what is happening.

That said....if I happened to have a kid who was very allergic to mold, bought some syrup and my child had a life-threatening reaction, and then found out that the practice of the producer I bought it from was to skim and reboil seriously moldy syrup and then selling it.....I'd be extraordinarily pissed off.

Berries.....washing them (recommended practice) will remove most surface contamination. Rare steak.....you have to ASK for it that way and there is often a warning on the menu. Lettace....you either wash it or buy it pre-washed (even then the label suggests you wash it). Peanuts.....easy to say "no thank you" or look on the ingredient label. Moldy syrup.....not listed anywhere on the label, not asked for by the consumer, can't wash it off. As far as the container manufacturers....they only put on the labels what the customer asks for. Therefore you can't pass off the liability onto the consumer or container manufacturer (unless their product is defective in allowing the syrup to mold). Syrup packed properly won't mold. Therefore the liability is all yours if you choose to "skim and reboil."

[buck3m]

Is there even one example of a life-threatening reaction from syrup that has been skimmed, filtered and reheated?

Have there been new studies showing it's a concern? Has the FDA said it's an unsafe practice?

Berries with mold on them in which most of the mold is washed off are moldy berries. Peanuts on airlines have resulted in allergic reactions from people not eating them. Reasonable risk is a reasonable risk. So far I'm not seeing the science saying that skimming, filtering and reheating has been shown to be unsafe and it's been done countless times.

On this page are FDA levels of contaminants allowed http://www.fda.gov/food/guidancecomplianceregulatoryinformation/guidancedocuments/sanitation/ucm056174.htm There are allowable amounts of mold listed for foods in which it cannot be seen and removed, things like jams and juices and tomato paste. For black currants the "actionable level" is "Average mold count is 75% or more." The same "what if" arguments can be made for all of these foods.

By the way, the whole point of this thread is to try to figure out exactly why this batch of syrup got mold in it (if that's what it is,) and how I can avoid it.

[DrTimPerkins]

I have no idea whether there are documented examples of people being affected by allergins in syrup. There were no documented cases of lead poisoning being caused by maple syrup either....but look what that has done to change the maple industry. Nobody has ever been poisoned by non-food grade tubing that I'm aware of....but that doesn't mean we should just go ahead and use whatever tubing we can find. The fact that there isn't documentation doesn't mean that the industry is not being asked about it by industrial-level syrup purchasers (those companies buying syrup from packers). My feeling is that some portions of the maple industry are proactively positioning themselves to reduce any exposure. Again....just the messenger here. I didn't bring up mold in this thread.....just telling you what the newer recommendation is.

So...to return to your original question.

1. Either you didn't pack the syrup hot enough (or the glass was cold so the syrup or container wasn't hot enough to kill whatever was in it), or
2. You had a bad seal on the jar, or
3. The mold (or whatever organism it is) is thermophilic (can survive very high temperatures).

The first two problems are far more likely, and fortunately, reasonably easy to solve.

[buck3m]

OK, fair enough. It seems to me like an allergic reaction to mold would happen quickly and be easily tied to the syrup, but I guess we've each made our points! I think we both agree that no mold should be the goal.

I agree with you in that excessive lead is a cumulative and a proven risk. Speaking of which, thanks for your tips on reducing lead, like not using old milk cans. It's extremely valuable having you here on the forum.

I'm pretty sure that the mold in the pictured jar (and I think it is mold) was simply caused by letting it cool too much before bottling.

[bobsklarz]

Thanks guys. I learned a lot from that "gentleman" debate. Very worthwhile thread!

[syrup2make]

I have seen this with ropy/cloudy sap. Its due to bacterial growth that occurs when sap stays warm to long. I used mine and we are still here. I spooned out the cloud,reheated to 185 degrees, filtered and bottled for personal use. We used it many months ago with no issues. Maple syrup never goes bad. You can take the mold off the top and reheat. Mold does not disperse through out the syrup.

[DrTimPerkins]

Thanks guys. I learned a lot from that "gentleman" debate. Very worthwhile thread!

So.....if we want to make this discussion a little more useful in the long-term, as I mentioned, the Univ of Maine (Kathy Hopkins) has an ongoing NAMSC study to identify the "stuff" that grows in maple syrup. I'm sure she would LOVE to get samples, and then perhaps she'll be able to identify what it is, where it came from, and perhaps better how to prevent it from being there in the first place. If you happen to find stuff growing in your syrup, contact Kathy at khopkins@maine.edu