Classified in the Maple News

[brookledge]

Did anyone read the add for the maple syrup filter that will remove "buddy" flavor, make dark syrup light etc.? I find it hard to believe but before I question the add to much I was wondering if it had any merit?
The only thing I can think of might be some type of charcoal type but don't see how that would make dark syrup into light.
Keith

[Bucket Head]

Yes, I saw that ad also. I did'nt know what to make of it. Sounded a little strange. You get buddy syrup because the sap is buddy- how do you change the taste of buddy syrup after proccessing? I know maple technology is changing constantly, however...

Steve

[3rdgen.maple]

Maybe the good doctor can chime in but I think even if this add holds merit it would be considered adulteration and therefore no longer be pure maple syrup.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Sounds to good to be true so I guess I'll let someone else "improve" their mersh and the advertisers bottom line.

[DrTimPerkins]

Maybe the good doctor can chime in but I think even if this add holds merit it would be considered adulteration and therefore no longer be pure maple syrup.

I've not seen the ad yet (still waiting for our copy of the "Maple News"), however any device that alters the chemistry other than removing particulates would most likely be considered adulteration under current regulations. There are certainly existing technological ways to filter out certain things...we just can't do them legally in the maple industry.

Same issue happened a few yrs ago when a chemical company salesman decided that the maple industry would be a great place to sell their decolorizing resins. We spent two years developing a test to detect it.

[Bucket Head]

Dr.,

Wow, decolorizing resins? I had not heard of that. You and your team might want to start thinking about how to test for this guy's buddy syrup filtering process. He's probably been on the phone already with shameless producers that think their going to get rich with their "new and improved" syrup. Its a shame you have to spend time on testing this kind of "technology".

Steve

[DrTimPerkins]

Wow, decolorizing resins? I had not heard of that. You and your team might want to start thinking about how to test for this guy's buddy syrup filtering process. He's probably been on the phone already with shameless producers that think their going to get rich with their "new and improved" syrup. Its a shame you have to spend time on testing this kind of "technology".

These things exist for the cane, corn, beet sugar industries. They wish to make the lightest (white) sugar possible, with absolutely no flavor other than sweet. These things should NOT be used in the manufacture or processing of maple syrup.

As much as they say it doesn't affect anything else...it does....but very slightly. We will find a way to detect it. These "filters" are basically ion-exchange resins. To grab onto one thing (color or flavor molecules), they have to release something else. That will affect the chemistry.

It isn't so much the time as the $. It cost about $200k to do that research and develop the test (chemical analysis is not cheap). Could have gone to much more interesting things (from my perspective). We don't talk about it much because we don't want those aforementioned shameless producers/packers to know exactly what it is that we know, or at what level we can detect the adulteration.

Along with the IMSI, we do random testing of maple syrup periodically. The good thing....we've not found much to be concerned about, but we do certainly keep up the testing.

[DrTimPerkins]

Did anyone read the add for the maple syrup filter that will remove "buddy" flavor, make dark syrup light etc.?

A quick update on this. I've spoken with the gentleman who placed the ad, heard about what his device was (it is what I expected) and explained to him that the process of decolorizing or altering flavor via this process is ILLEGAL. I don't believe he'll be offering this product any longer.

[Flat47]

A quick update on this. I've spoken with the gentleman who placed the ad, heard about what his device was (it is what I expected) and explained to him that the process of decolorizing or altering flavor via this process is ILLEGAL. I don't believe he'll be offering this product any longer.

Thanks, Dr. Perkins, for doing the work that you do for the good of the industry. We all benefit from it, even the small producers like me.

[brookledge]

Thanks Dr. Perkins for getting the answers to my post. I knew it was to good to be true.
Keith