Maple Sap Water

[ennismaple]

The IMSI has issued recommendations for the standardization of the production of Pure Maple Sap Water - they can be found at the following link:

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/b636da94779189f6b46037a79/files/Recommendations_Maple_Sap_Water_Committee_Draft_Ju ly_24_2015_Final_Ju_y_27th_Aug_28_15_FINAL_For_Dis t_2_3_2_.pdf

It will be interesting to see how many producers sell some or all of their production in this raw form.

[maple flats]

It looks like a sound set of rules to govern maple (sap) water as a beverage.

[Bricklayer]

Interesting. It's says it should not be bottled like normal water. What does that mean. Does it have to be put in a special container? Is there a special way of bottling it to extend the shelf life. My guess is that you would almost have to treat it like milk. But being pure and not pasteurized it would have a very short shelf life. I would like to know more about this. I don't think I would ever sell maple water, but I would love to know the process of it.

[Jebediah]

My understanding is that you concentrate about 10X with ro, then the remainder via evaporation. It seems like you could sell the post-ro, pre-boil material as "maple water concentrate." My guess is that the viscosity at this point is such that it readily mixes with water, with minimal stirring, right? "Maple water concentrate" would be an interesting niche.

[Bricklayer]

It states that for it to be "pure" it must not be boiled and be 1-4% brix and that boiling changes the structure of pure maple sap water.

[Zucker Lager]

I wonder how it would be carbonated ? My son does that with only a simple set up to water and or water with fruit flavor or minerals. The whole set up cost under $100 and takes only minutes to make a carbonated beverage. Jay

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

the company here in poultney pays really good i hear for quality sap.

https://www.vtsweetwater.com/

[jmayerl]

I just tried "Wahta". It has a very light sap flavor, not to bad but the cost was really too high.

[Bricklayer]

What does the package say for ingredients. I would love to know how it's preserved. It has to be stabilized or pasteurized or something to get a shelf life out of it. Does it have an expiry date stamped on it.?

[jmayerl]

Ingredients say "100 % pure maple water". I would imagine it is flash pasteurized since it has been in the fridge for 6 months, says best before April 5 2016

[DrTimPerkins]

What does the package say for ingredients. I would love to know how it's preserved. It has to be stabilized or pasteurized or something to get a shelf life out of it. Does it have an expiry date stamped on it.?

Flash pasteurized and aseptically packed (Tetrapak).

[westcoast]

What is the recommended way to flash pasterize the maple sap? To what temperature, for how much time, then how quickly does it get cooled.... to which temperature? Out here on west coast, with our bigleafs, and their lower sugar content, this has some merit. Thanks!

[westcoast]

Allow me to re-ask that question! To flash pasterize is to heat to an extreme temperature for less than a second, then cool. That would be done for large amounts of sap at one time. What if you just had about 10 gallons? What is the process to pasterize that amount? I know with milk you heat it to a certain temperature (less than a boil) then cool it. Will that work for maple sap also? Thanks....

[DrTimPerkins]

Allow me to re-ask that question! To flash pasterize is to heat to an extreme temperature for less than a second, then cool. That would be done for large amounts of sap at one time. What if you just had about 10 gallons? What is the process to pasterize that amount? I know with milk you heat it to a certain temperature (less than a boil) then cool it. Will that work for maple sap also? Thanks....

There is not a quick and easy and cheap way to flash pasteurize that I am aware of. You could pasteurize in the way you describe, or with a pressure cooker, but either of those would likely result in a slight amount of color formation.

[Bricklayer]

I looked into a "flash pasteurizer". For the cheapest one I could find it was $45,000. Runs off 3 phase power and is the size of a pickup. It's classified as factory or food plant equipment. And it's a whole other system to tetra pack it, I think it makes more sense to supply the sap then process it into "maple water". Unit is pretty cool looking though. Lots of stainless on that bad boy. This model is way more then 45 k but is pretty sweet looking

http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u495/bottenhof/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-01/173FEEC9-84B2-4336-971E-A5F0470645BB_zps1t4yp8px.jpg (http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/bottenhof/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-01/173FEEC9-84B2-4336-971E-A5F0470645BB_zps1t4yp8px.jpg.html)

[westcoast]

That is a fine looking piece of equipment!! Pretty sure there isn't enough sap out here in the entire province to make that an option... Selling the raw sap straight to the processor would be the way to go it appears, although same problem. Nobody here still believes you can tap bigleaf maples for their sap. What is the purpose of the tetrapak? Does light shorten the shelf-life of the maple water quite a bit? I see fruit juice in clear bottles, but they have probably added persevatives to lengthen help with shelf-life... Tetrapak just look a little cheap on the shelf!!

[Woodsrover]

I'm going to try and put some in Mason jars and can it as I do fruits and such. 15 minutes or so at 230 should do it I'd think. Wouldn't want to do a whole bunch like that but for the novelty of it....

[scottdevine]

I'm going to try and put some in Mason jars and can it as I do fruits and such. 15 minutes or so at 230 should do it I'd think. Wouldn't want to do a whole bunch like that but for the novelty of it....

Woodsrover, how did this turn out for you? you boiled the sap in jars at 230 for 15, did it preserve?

[Bricklayer]

There seems to be a patent on it too.
http://www.google.com/patents/US20140044842

[DrTimPerkins]

There seems to be a patent on it too.
http://www.google.com/patents/US20140044842

That document refers to a patent application, not a granted patent.

[scottdevine]

I'm going to try and put some in Mason jars and can it as I do fruits and such. 15 minutes or so at 230 should do it I'd think. Wouldn't want to do a whole bunch like that but for the novelty of it....
How did it turn out? i hope to have a fresh run this week, and will try the method described. 15 minutes @230 then let cool and refrigerate?

[Austin351]

I filter (twigs, bugs, leaves, etc.), bottle, and then freeze about 15 gallons of birch sap each year. Just take it out of the freezer the day before you expect to drink it. Granted most are in single servings and are drank in one sitting, the half gallon jugs will keep in the fridge a good week once thawed.

Simple, cheap, and delicious. Don't know what the FDA and the commercial sides would say..

[JesterV]

I'm still interested in "maple water." I live in a college town and there are pressed juice places nearby. One I spoke to might be interested in "fresh" maple water. Which we would call just plain maple water. No flash pasteurization, bottling, etc. Obviously this would be a seasonal product .. but hey, why not? They are looking into the legalities of it. We have always drank our maple. First cup of the season is a ritual. Maybe others would like it too? It might not be the Fountain of Youth, but it is certainly better for you than most of the crap people drink these days.

[CampHamp]

Asians (esp S. Koreans) love drinking sap...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/world/asia/06maple.html

[prairietapper]

well the whole maple water debate questions etc. caused our state to not be willing to add maple syrup to the list of cottage foods allowed to be made and sold with out a commercial food kitchen and license. they were going to add it.
I just got off the phone with the state...
MAPLE SYRUP is legal under the cottage food laws now!!! yeah! as of 2018.

[Daveg]

I'm going to try and put some in Mason jars and can it as I do fruits and such. 15 minutes or so at 230 should do it I'd think. Wouldn't want to do a whole bunch like that but for the novelty of it....
230°!!Are you using a pressure canner?

[ashadedacre]

http://www.sapsucker.ca/
They pasteurize it and sell it pretty expensive!

I used sap this spring to make maple water kefir and maple kombucha. Both scobies love the sap instead of cane sugar and water. And for second fermentation I add a bit of maple syrup to help get a bit of fizz.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180403/897b250bd5898e35c6569921eb99ef1b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180403/bbd54cdb9924c0b9982699fafaf69efc.jpg