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Thread: Flavor Factors.....

  1. #1
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    Default Flavor Factors.....

    In an earlier thread, I asked the question of whether slow cooking sap made a more flavorfull syrup. The conclusion seemed to be "Maybe, maybe not depending on your experience and personal preference." Or something to that affect. I think it was happy thoughts who mentioned the great diversity with which syrup can take on. Now I'm wondering what the factors are the affect the different flavor profiles of syrup. Certainly the speed with which you cook it, The sugar content of the original sap, the season, the year......How about soil and tree genetics? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to wrap my brain around this. What other factors play into the flavor of syrup? It's seems quite complex to me.

  2. #2
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    You should poke around the UVM and Cornell libraries and see what research you can find online. Soil is believed to be one factor not just for it's composition but also for the microbial flora present in it. Here are a couple of links to research articles about bacterial action on color and flavor. You may be able to find some of the sources listed in their bibliographies as a start. Other resources might be the Canadian Ag ministry as they are also looking at the many different flavors of syrup and have developed a flavor wheel.

    "Identification of the Bacterial Community of Maple Sap....."
    http://www.asm.org/images/docfilenam...08/pdf-sap.pdf

    "Effect of controlled fermentation of maple sap on the color and flavor of maple sirup"
    http://wyndmoor.arserrc.gov/Page/1957/1091.pdf
    “A sap-run is the sweet good-bye of winter. It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost.”
    ~John Burroughs, "Signs and Seasons", 1886

    backyard mapler since 2006 using anything to get the job done from wood stove to camp stove to even crockpots.
    2012- moved up to a 2 pan block arch
    2013- plan to add another hotel pan and shoot for 5-6 gallons
    Thinking small is best for me so probably won't get any bigger.

  3. #3
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    Default

    Wonderfull Info! thanks for the links. I'll keep researching it.

  4. #4
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    We learned at the Maple Grading School that maple syrup is notorious for picking up flavors from odors in the air and residual flavors in containers. Simmering sap on a wood stove and making spaghetti sauce with garlic in the kitchen is a no no, as is using canning jars that had pickles or other strong flavored foods in them.
    Fuel oil odors from a oil fired evaporator or diesel exhaust are real problems.
    2 1/2 X 8 Leader revolution pans on an inferno arch with steamaway. 1500 taps, 600 gph Springtech RO, 3 vacuum systems (3/4 hp. Airablo, 2 hp. Tuthill oilring pump and a 2 hp. Busch claw pump)
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/batsofbedlam/

  5. #5
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    That's interesting bats, especially how cooking syrup can pick up odors from other cooking foods, etc. I'm not sure I buy the canning jar thing because glass is nonabsorbent and can be thoroughly cleaned. I do see how reusing lids could be a problem, especially plastic caps and lids.

    Did they have any thoughts on smoky flavor from wood firing? That came up in another thread a few days ago when someone got a negative comment about a syrup's smoky taste. I'd consider it a traditional flavor on the positve side. Wondering how professional graders rate it.
    “A sap-run is the sweet good-bye of winter. It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost.”
    ~John Burroughs, "Signs and Seasons", 1886

    backyard mapler since 2006 using anything to get the job done from wood stove to camp stove to even crockpots.
    2012- moved up to a 2 pan block arch
    2013- plan to add another hotel pan and shoot for 5-6 gallons
    Thinking small is best for me so probably won't get any bigger.

  6. #6
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    I can't stop thinking about the implications of bacterial growth in the sap being a factor in syrup quality. Being a cheesemaker, I know that Cultures play an important role in creating a desired acidity and various flavors in milk. i had not thought the same with sap. It would be interesting to see if someone comes up with some isolated and concentrated microfauna for sale on the maple market. Seems it would be an interesting field for an inovative entrapreneur to get into. The cheese culture market seems to do well.

  7. #7
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    I was thinking along those lines too. Not just cheese but also yeast species used in wine, beer and bread making, particularly sourdoughs made on the west coast that can't be duplicated outside their native range. So habitat that supports certain microbes and not others could also be a factor in where and why certain syrups taste in a given area. As for using microbes to influence taste, I suppose such manipulation might be considered adulteration or an additive and current federal regs would seem to preclude their use in pure maple syrup. But it does look like at least some research is being done along those lines. Interesting stuff!
    “A sap-run is the sweet good-bye of winter. It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost.”
    ~John Burroughs, "Signs and Seasons", 1886

    backyard mapler since 2006 using anything to get the job done from wood stove to camp stove to even crockpots.
    2012- moved up to a 2 pan block arch
    2013- plan to add another hotel pan and shoot for 5-6 gallons
    Thinking small is best for me so probably won't get any bigger.

  8. #8
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    I'm not sure I buy the canning jar thing because glass is nonabsorbent and can be thoroughly cleaned. I do see how reusing lids could be a problem, especially plastic caps and lids.

    Everyone thinks that glass is nonabsorbent, but if you tasted the number of samples of syrup that had a pickle after taste or a tomato after taste, that we did, you would know different.
    2 1/2 X 8 Leader revolution pans on an inferno arch with steamaway. 1500 taps, 600 gph Springtech RO, 3 vacuum systems (3/4 hp. Airablo, 2 hp. Tuthill oilring pump and a 2 hp. Busch claw pump)
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/batsofbedlam/

  9. #9
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    Point taken. I can't argue with a trained taster.) I'm sure you have very discriminating taste buds by now
    “A sap-run is the sweet good-bye of winter. It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost.”
    ~John Burroughs, "Signs and Seasons", 1886

    backyard mapler since 2006 using anything to get the job done from wood stove to camp stove to even crockpots.
    2012- moved up to a 2 pan block arch
    2013- plan to add another hotel pan and shoot for 5-6 gallons
    Thinking small is best for me so probably won't get any bigger.

  10. #10
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    Default

    You might also look at US Patent 2,880,094. Centre Acer has also reported studies in this area, but my links no longer work.

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