The Difference between an RO available for home and Syrup?

[JP Quality Maple Syrup]

I understand what a RO unit accomplishes. Filters the sap, that's another thread, eliminates a lot of the water before going into the evaporator. How it does that? Still learning but the home units they sell obviously just filters but the principle is the same? The fellow I learned a bit from just uses the paper filter before he dumps the sap into his carrier. He filters it as it leaves his evaporator through a cloth filter but I found that method messy. He cleans the finished syrup by heating it up and mixing in an egg and milk then scoops out the brown foam. I've never seen that on any videos I have seen as everyone takes the finished syrup straight to the bottler. So it seems an RO is what I need as I would worry about someone having milk allergies etc. doing it his way. I can't afford an RO yet and as soon as I get to know the mechanics I would consider making my own. Is there a better way to filter the sap before going into the evaporator for the now until that day? that I could set up now? Is there something I can put in line that wouldn't affect the sap? :confused:

[happy thoughts]

I understand what a RO unit accomplishes. Filters the sap, that's another thread, eliminates a lot of the water before going into the evaporator. How it does that? Still learning but the home units they sell obviously just filters but the principle is the same? The fellow I learned a bit from just uses the paper filter before he dumps the sap into his carrier. He filters it as it leaves his evaporator through a cloth filter but I found that method messy. He cleans the finished syrup by heating it up and mixing in an egg and milk then scoops out the brown foam. I've never seen that on any videos I have seen as everyone takes the finished syrup straight to the bottler. So it seems an RO is what I need as I would worry about someone having milk allergies etc. doing it his way. I can't afford an RO yet and as soon as I get to know the mechanics I would consider making my own. Is there a better way to filter the sap before going into the evaporator for the now until that day? that I could set up now? Is there something I can put in line that wouldn't affect the sap? :confused:

The principle is the same but in a little different direction. Both work using special membranes that only allow certain size molecules to pass through them when the liquid is forced through them under pressure.

In R/O for water you drink the water and throw out the rest. In R/O for sap you throw out the water and save the rest for processing into syrup. R/O for sap would not filter out allergens or any larger molecules than water. Water is a relatively small molecule in size. Larger molecules (sugar and everything else but water) would stay in the concentrate. Syrup produced from R/O concentrate would still need to be filtered before bottling..

[jmayerl]

Actually a RO has nothing to do with filtering. A RO has a semi permeable membrane that allows water to pass through and everything else therefore gets concentrated(sugar, mineral, bacteria). Yes a home RO works on the same principals but on a much smaller scale and the products are reversed in use.

Yes talk to some old timers and they will tell you the egg trick, it works well if you are the only person that will ever touch the syrup as egg allergies can be serious.

You can filter the sap with a simple strainer or cheese cloth to get large stuff out. The finished syrup should then be filtered at the end to get out the sugar sand or niter.

[JP Quality Maple Syrup]

I knew I did the right thing by joining the group. I knew the RO saved on fuel in the evaporator process by removing water but you have cleared up the filtering portion. So I should make a stand to hold the filter bag under the tap when the syrup leaves the pan to filter it? I will post some questions regarding filtering in that forum but I thank you for your time in replying. Jack

[JP Quality Maple Syrup]

Nice to have "happy thoughts". Thanks for your reply my friend. Jmayerl helped with my thoughts on R/O and you helped with the rest. I'm not sure how big I will get but it is part of my retirement plan along with other ventures to keep me active. Thanks for your time with my question. Jack

[JP Quality Maple Syrup]

If I had access to a higher end Home/Small Business R/O and used it before it went into the evaporator would it clean up the sap or remove or change the sugar content for example? I know it won't remove any of the moisture as I have learned from previous posts. Thanks in advance, Jack

[happy thoughts]

R/O does not clean up the sap. Only water is removed during R/O (and discarded or used for cleaning). Because water is removed during R/O, the sugar content of sap increases significantly. It is not uncommon to go from 2% sugar to 8% sugar or even higher. That means removing at least 3/4 of the starting sap volume. So what was once a gallon of sap now becomes a quart of sap left to process. The big gain is in decrease in fuel costs and time for processing to syrup because there is much less water left to evaporate to reach the density of syrup. The syrup would still need to be filtered before bottling to remove the sugar sand (niter) that boiling off causes.

I think you are still confusing the initial sap filtering many people do and R/O. They are not the same in result or purpose. The purpose of initial filtering is to remove bits of debris (wood chips, dirt, insects etc) that find their way into collection containers. This initial filtering is not the same as the final filtering done once the syrup has reached the correct density.

Post edit- Maybe this is the answer you're seeking :) Instead of final filtering at the time of boiling, some let gravity and time settle out the sugar sand in large, sealed containers bottled at the same recommended temps for safely bottling filtered syrup.. The clear portion can be carefully poured off and reheated to bottling temps at a later time once the sand has settled to the bottom. Care must be given not to overheat this clear syrup above 190-200*F or more sugar sand will form.

[JP Quality Maple Syrup]

Thanks happy thoughts. Learning lots of stuff in here and I thank you guys for your patience. Hey, if you ever need help with telephones I'm your guy...lol. Jack

[not_for_sale]

I think the greatest benefit of a small home made RO is that it saves ooooodles of time. The RO works when you sleep too. You need to stick,around to boil. You don't need to stick around while the RO removes water.

[maple flats]

An RO does remove some stuff in the pre filter, but most that needs to be filtered out of the finished syrup is sugar sand (or niter). Niter is mostly made up of the minerals that precipitate out of the syrup as you concentrate past the syrup's ability to hold them in suspension. This niter makes the syrup look cloudy, while well filtered syrup looks clear.
In an RO, you will need to replace the prefilter when it gets plugged up, but the syrup still must be filtered before it is packed for use or sale.