Syrups - Sweeteners: Nutritional Aspects, Applications, and Production Technology - page 156

table 6.4 General Nutritional Characteristics of Common Caloric Sweeteners

Common Sweeteners Nutritional Characteristics

HFCS Monosaccharides of fructose and glucose made from corn

Glucose Simple sugar

Fructose Simple fruit sugar

Sucrose Crystalline white sugar made from cane and sugar beets

composed of fructose and glucose bonded together

Inverted sugar Fructose and glucose in liquid form made from sugar hydrolyses

Honey Liquid sweetener of fructose, glucose, and other higher sugars,

vitamins, minerals, and enzymes

Fruit juice concentrate syrups Liquid sweeteners of concentrated fruit juices

• Eachisabsorbedbythebodyataboutthesamerate

• HFCSisnutritionallythesameassugar(sucrose)

6.3 MapLe SYrUp

Maple syrup is a sweetener made from the xylem-exuded sap of maple trees, which has been
concentratedbywaterevaporation.Itisoftenusedasasweetenerortoppingforwafles,pancakes,
oatmeal,andFrenchtoastandforotherusessuchaslavoringagentsinbaking,pastry,dressings,and
sauces.Maplesyrupconsistsof66%sucrose,anditisproducedentirelyfrommaplesapcalledsweet
wateror“sinzibukwud”(drawnfromtree)bytheaboriginalpeopleofNorthAmerica(archeological
evidence),whostartedthemaplesugaringoperationbyboringholesinthetrunksofmapletrees,invert-
ingwoodenspoutsintheholes,andcollectingsapinwoodenbucketshungfromtheprotrudingendof
eachspout(Hopkins2007).Then,theharvestedsapwastransportedtothebasecampandpouredinto
largemetalvessels,whereitwasboileduntilitreachedthedesiredconsistency.Theproductionhas
remainedbasicallythesamesincecolonialdays.Maplesyrupismadebyboilingsap(20-50L)until
1 Lofmaplesyrupisobtained.ItwasaroundtheAmericanCivilWarwhencanesugarreplacedmaple
sugar in popularity in the United States. Later, modern maple processing methods, such as reverse
osmosis,improvementsintubing,theuseofvacuum,newilteringsystems,newpreheaters,andbetter
storageconditions,wereperfectedtobetterproductquality(DavenportandStaats1998).
Canada produces more than 80% of the world's maple syrup, with the vast majority coming
fromQuebec,Ontario,andNovaScotia,andexportsmorethan30,000tonsperyear.Maplesyrup
has also been produced in the United States (e.g., Vermont, Maine, Ohio, and Michigan) and in
othercountriessuchasJapanandSouthKoreaonasmallscale(USDA2010).
MaplesyrupinCanadaisdividedintoseveralmajorgrades(withadensityof66Brix),includ-
ingextralight(AA),light(A),medium(B),amber(C),anddark(D).MaplesyrupintheUnited
Statesisclassiiedintotwomajorgrades(dependingonitstranslucence),includinggradeA(light
amber,mediumamber,anddarkamber)andgradeB(darker).Thenutritionproileofmaplesyrup
isshowninTable6.5(Elliot2006).
Thebasicingredientsofmaplesyrupconsistprimarilyofsucroseandwaterwithsmallamounts
ofothersugars(glucoseandfructose),organicacids(malicacid),aminoacids,andrelevantamounts
ofminerals(potassium,calcium,zinc,andmanganese).Furthermore,itcontainsavarietyofvola-
tileorganiccompounds(e.g.,vanillin,hydroxybutanol,andpropionaldehyde),whichareprimarily
responsibleforitsdistinctivemaplelavor.
In some instances, off-lavor is found in maple syrup as a result of various causes, including
contaminants from the boiling apparatus, fermentation (the sap sitting too long), or “buddy” sap
(lateintheseason'sharvest).Maplesyrupissimilartosugarcalorie-wise,butcomparedtohoney,
ithas15timesmorecalcium.