Cloudiness’ effect on refractometer measurements
Accurately measuring density is critical to the production of pure maple syrup. This article explores how impurities in syrup can affect the accuracy of tools used to measure density.
Tag: Grading
Showing 21 – 28 of 28 resources
How do I test the quality of my homemade maple syrup?
Demonstration on how to test when sap becomes maple syrup. Different tools are discussed.
Why change the maple grading system?
Thoughts on the value of implementing the new maple grading system.
An Overview of Consumer Research Conducted to Determine Support for A Standardised Grading System for Pure Maple Syrup
In late summer, 2008 Cintech Agroalimentaire was mandated by the IMSI and the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers to undertake research on their behalf that would serve as input to a potential uniform grading system destined for consumers of maple syrup. It was felt that such a grading system would not only be useful to producers and packers but would also help stimulate sales to customers.
Achieving the Right Syrup Density
Achieving a consistent and acceptable density level for maple syrup continues to be a challenge for many producers.
Comparison of Visual Grading Methods
There does not appear to have been a published comparison of the different grading kits subsequent to the research that introduced caramel standards followed by glass standards. Consequently, we undertook a comparison of most of the grading kits that are currently in use.
Relating Spectrophotometer Readings to Visual Grading of Maple Syrup
Color grading of maple syrup is based on placing syrup samples within four or more categories based either on visual comparison to color references or measurement of light transmission with a spectrophotometer. With a spectrophotometer, specific transmission values are used as break points to divide syrup samples into color grades. The purpose of this report is to describe the lack of agreement between existing light transmission break points and visual grading and how this problem can be addressed.
Consumer Preference for Graded Maple Syrup
The three grades of maple syrup and a commercial table syrup containing artificial flavor and 3 percent pure maple syrup were evaluated by 1,018 women in four cities. The results indicate that differences in preference for flavor are related to how close the respondents are to a maple syrup-production region. Differences in preference among grades of pure maple syrup were slight and in reverse order of the quality implied by the Federal grading standard. Outside of the region of maple syrup production, differences in preference between pure maple syrup and the commercial table syrup were marked, and favored the commercial syrup.