MAGIC _ COLOUR AND

The Cold Creek Stewardship Report, by Gordon Craig

pring brings new life: plants crose molecule (C12H22O11) into each emerge, trees leaf out and of a 6 carbon fructose and glucose flower, and the flowing of sap molecule (both C6H12O6) known as marks the first of our spring invert sugars. The rate of sucrose cleav- cultural events, the produc- age increases as the bacteria and am- Stion of maple syrup. Everyone knows bient temperature increase, that results Painting Phil Chadwick. Photo Tom Wray that when 40 volumes of sap are in higher concentrations of fructose boiled down to one volume, maple and glucose in the sap as the season syrup results. Jacques Cartier reported progresses. Amino acids present in the North American Indians making syrup maple sap combine with both fructose as early as 1540 and they were un- and glucose when heated, called the doubtedly making it long before then. Maillard reaction, producing the golden Interestingl y, if the water is removed brown colour and the unique maple flavour. In short, the in- crease in syrup colour and flavour as the season progresses is dependent on the presence of amino acids, greater bac- terial activity and higher concentrations of the in- vert sugars later in the season. This non-enzymatic ing saps including birch, larch, lime, development of colour sycamore and walnut but alternative and flavour from the amino acids will produce flavours dif- complexation of amino ferent than “maple”. Maples as a group, acids with invert sugars contain the highest sugar concentra- from the sap by freeze concentration in the presence of heat was described tions in their sap and Acer saccharum, or by vacuum rather than by boiling, in 1912 by Louis-Camille Maillard of the Sugar Maple, has the highest of the maple flavour is absent and the France. It begins at temperatures of them all. Economies of energy and colour of the syrup is rather gray. But 80°C and below being much different time to boil off the water make the once the syrup is heated a golden than caramelization which occurs at Sugar Maple the preferred species for brown colour and maple flavour devel- 110°C for fructose and 160°C for glu- syrup production. Current maple syrup ops. Heat is therefore one of the crit- cose and sucrose. research is focusing on fall tapping, cli- ical ingredients of maple syrup. Related Producers strive to produce higher- mate change effects on production and truths to maple syrup production in- priced lighter-coloured syrups and sugar bush health but that is for an- clude: syrup colour and flavour are focus on collecting sap earlier in the other article. lighter at the beginning of the season season, reducing the time between col- Indian legends of how the sugar than the end; the longer sap is boiled lection and boiling and reducing the maple produces its sweet sap and why the darker the colour and the stronger total boiling time once in the evapora- it is available for only a few weeks a the flavour. tor to reduce, but not eliminate, the year make for fascinating reading and Early season maple sap has a slightly extent of the Maillard reaction. instill the values of hard work and care higher sucrose concentration than later Nonetheless, darker syrups are rich in for nature. Read these wonderful sto- in the season but a maple related bac- flavour and preferred for adding maple ries and other reports on maple syrup teria is higher later in the season. The flavour to foods. production at ColdCreek.ca/cool-stuff/. bacteria cleave the larger 12 carbon su- Many trees produce sugar-contain- Giovannina Colalillo of Schomberg has once again been asked by the References Sara I.F.S. Martins, S.I.F.S, W.M.F. Jongen and M.A.J.S. van Boekel. A review of Maillard reaction in Ontario Federation of Labour Childs, S. 2007. Chemistry of maple syrup. Cornell Maple Bulletin 202. food and implications to kinetic modelling. Trends in Food Science & Technology 11 (2001)364– 373 to create the illustration for Findlay, G. H., and Snell, J. F. 1935. Some constituents of the sap of the sugar maple. Canadian Jour. Res., 13, (Sect. B) 269-275. Svanberg, I., R. Sõukand, L. Luczaj, R. Kalle, O. Zyryanova, A. Dénes, A. Nedelcheva, D. _e_kauskaite, International Women’s Day, I.Kolodziejska-Degórska, V. Kolosova, N. Papp. 2012. Uses of tree saps in northern and eastern Holgate, K.C. 1950. Changes in the composition of maple sap during the tapping season. Bulletin parts of Europe. Acta Soc Bot Pol 81(4):343–357 March 8, 2014! No. 742. New York State Agricultural Experimental Station, Geneva, N.Y. Wong, B.L., KmL. Baggett, and AmHm Rye 2003. Seasonal patterns of reserve and soluble carbo- Osnas, J.L.D. 2013. Ma ple syrup mechanics: xylem, sap flow and sugar content. The Botanist in the hydrates in mature sugar maple (Acer accharum) Can. J. Bot. 81: 780-788 (2003) Kitchen. http://botanistinthekitchen.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/maple-syrup-mechanics/

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