How Do They Make Maple Syrup?

Are you a grade B maple syrup fan? Well, you can’t get it anymore. To understand why, we have to look at the science behind the whole process, from sap to syrup. On the way, we’ll cover hydrometers, reverse osmosis, boiling point elevation, and George’s dislike of Maillard reaction diagrams.

#maillard #foodscience #maplesyrup

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Credits:
Executive Producers:
Hilary Hudson

Producers:
Elaine Seward
Andrew Sobey
Darren Weaver

Writer/Host:
George Zaidan

Thanks to Bill and Susan Freeman
Glastenview Maple Farm

Scientific Consultants:
Michelle Boucher, PhD
Timothy D. Perkins, PhD (UVM)
David W. Ball, PhD
Brianne Raccor, PhD

Drone Operator:
Kayo Sobey

Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Associate Director of Programming for PBS: Niki Walker

Reactions is a production of the American Chemical Society.
© 2022 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

Sources:
The Chemical Composition of Maple Syrup:

Chemical composition of five standard grades of pure maple syrup:

United States Standards for Grades of Maple Sirup (Syrup):

168.140 Maple sirup:

Agriculture - Maple Statistics:

Consumer Preference for Graded Maple Syrup:

Sap flow, wounding and compartmentalization in maple:

North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual full:

Making the Grade—The Color and Flavor of Maple Syrup:

Formation of flavour compounds in the Maillard reaction:

Maple syrup production from sap preconcentrated to ultra high °Brix by membrane technology: Composition and properties:

Assessment of the Flavor of Syrup Produced with High-Brix RO Systems:

United States Standards for Grades of Maple Syrup:

Maple syrup grades:

[ImTHECarlos]

But how do they get the different grades MADE? That was never addressed in the video. Do different maple trees produce different kinds of syrup, or is it kinda random and you just have to determine what grade it is after it’s made?

[AnacondaHL]

actual standing ovation for the last second of the video, beautiful

[Kassidar]

This was such a well paced, tight script. Well done!

[youngchemist]

Thank you for putting my 5 years of chemistry undergraduate knowledge in 13 minutes 44 seconds.

[Jim-phyo]

Very informative explanation. Thank you.
Hi Bill and Susan. That was fun!

[rafael_l]

I've never even tasted maple syrup, but the video made me want to try some of this grade B. Also, drilling holes in the trees is how latex is collected for making rubber.

[KieranHook]

Very informative, I like how the technical information wasn't "boiled down" too much 🤓

[choedzin]

When I was a kid back in the 1950s, I often wondered why the label on our Log Cabin Maple Syrup said "85% sugar and 15% maple sugar syrups". By the way, now that I live in Germany, we can get 2 grades of maple syrup: A and C (C tastes better, stronger, in my opinion).

[metamorphiczeolite]

This is one of my favorite channels. Uniformly top quality content. Thanks, ACS!

[AnesidoraAston]

Hey wait a moment. I think I was just tricked into learning something.

[KerryHallPhD]

I love the disclaimer at the very end.

[boogiedaddy]

Thank you so much for clarifying this. I, too, am a "Grade B guy" and have been scratching my head, wondering where that amber elixir has gone. Now I know what to look for!

[DukeBG]

I love how in the end of the video the maple people say "later" rather than "good bye" because George will obviously have to come back for the camera that is shooting him going away

[TJH]

Good video, I learnt something useful that I shall make use of the next time I am in the "fancier" supermarket I go to. Also, I love that it was "HMS Maillard Reaction" and that you said carAmel correctly, to start with anyway. Bravo!

[jankibbe]

Great video but I'd like to mention there were two misconceptions in the video. First when you drill into the tree, sap doesn't come out like a fountain. It drips! Secondly, when you were talking about ROing, you mentioned heat. ROing the sap does not include any heating. It removes water to make a higher content concentrate so less boiling time. Thanks for the great video!

[ZillaCloud]

Glastenview is the best looking forward to another trip to VT soon and stopping by for some awesome maple syrup!

[blackstarrysky]

Excellent video. Tricked yet satisfied.

[moosefactory]

Good video. I was talking to someone in our hiking club and somehow we got onto the subject of maple syrup. He told me most of the stuff you get in stores or at restaurants is just plain crap and not real syrup. That made me look up videos on the subject and found this to be both very informative and interesting. I never knew there was so much to making of real maple syrup and that there is a International Maple Syrup Institute. Next thing I am going to look up is if there is any difference between Canadian and Vermont syrup. My friend told me probably not. Hopefully I will be able to find out.

[askingwhy]

Your trip was like returning to my childhood -- except for the reverse osmosis ;-)

[brassen]

Down in South America, the closest thing I've tried is my mom's Jatobá (Hymenaea sp.) bark syrup, served on top of coconut pudding.