Information and Events for Maple Syrup Producers
Practical information for sugarmakers in Holmes County, Ohio.
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Practical information for sugarmakers in Holmes County, Ohio.
CDL equipment’s collection of production resources, including proper usage of tools and how-to guides for candy, cream, and other products.
Resources for the use of CDL equipment.
Resources for the use of Leader equipment.
Management and equipment videos from CDL.
Product Demos and other videos from Maple News.
Videos produced by Lapierre for users of their equipment.
The leaves on the trees are still mostly green and few have fallen. Does this indicate anything for the upcoming sugar season?
Maple sap is a complex nutrient matrix collected during spring to produce maple syrup. The characteristics of sap change over the production period and its composition directly impacts syrup quality. This variability could in part be attributed to changes in tree metabolism following dormancy release, but little is known about these changes in deciduous trees. Therefore, understanding the variation in sap composition associated with dormancy release could help pinpoint the causes of some defects in maple syrup. In particular, a defect known as ÒbuddyÓ, is an increasing concern for the industry. This off-flavor appears around the time of bud break, hence its name. To investigate sap variation related to bud break and the buddy defect, we monitored sap variation with respect to a dormancy release index (Sbb) and syrup quality. First, we looked at variation in amino acid content during this period. We observed a shift in amino acid relative proportions associated with dormancy release and found that most of them increase rapidly near the point of bud break, correlating with changes in syrup quality. Second, we identified biological processes that respond to variation in maple sap by performing a competition assay using the barcoded Saccharomyces cerevisiae prototroph deletion collection. This untargeted approach revealed that the organic sulfur content may be responsible for the development of the buddy off-flavor, and that dormancy release is necessary for the appearance of the defect, but other factors such as microbial activity may also be contributing.
Will the dry weather affect syrup production next spring?