Identification of chemical markers in tree sap for ‘Buddy’ maple syrup off-flavours

Near the end of every maple syrup harvest season, the syrup can acquire an unpalatable off-flavour called ‘buddy’. Buddy flavor cannot be tasted or detected in the tree sap prior to processing into syrup. This can loss of income, and unnecessary expenditure to produce the syrup that is unpalatable. This work seeks to identify chemical markers in maple sap which can inform producers on the likelihood that the syrup will buddy or not. This project will include comprehensive chemical analysis of maple sap samples from 11 regions of Ontario throughout the 2019 season. Identifying a strong chemical marker(s) of buddy syrup within tree sap is critical to allow future work on developing inexpensive on-site tests for buddy flavour to proceed.

Faculty Supervisor:

Cheryl Ketola;Justin Renaud

Student:

Partner:

Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Fanshawe College

Program: