CHARACTERISTICS OF MAPLE PRODUCTS. 



The following quotations from Jones, of the Vermont station, serve 

 to characterize maple products from the point of view of both the 

 consumer and the chemist: 



Maple sugar is a crude product which from the nature of the case it is impracticable 

 to refine. Neither is such refining desirable, for the peculiar value of maple goods is 

 due, not to their sugar content or sweetness, but rather to the agreeable "maple flavor' ' 

 that accompanies them. Too much refining eliminates this flavor and then the value 

 of the goods is no greater than that of ordinary granulated or brown sugar. * * * 



Pure maple products and those adulterated with cane sugar seem most clearly 

 differentiated by the varying amounts and nature of their ash contents, namely, the 

 solubility and alkalinity of the soluble and insoluble ash. Only a trace of ash is 

 found in refined cane sugar, while in maple sugar a much larger quantity is normally 

 present. Commercial brown sugar may also carry a considerable ash content, but its 

 character is so distinct from that found in the maple that mere similarity in amount of 

 ash does not seriously interfere with its detection. 



Again, pure maple products give a large voluminous precipitate 

 with lead subacetate, while brown sugars give only a small amount, 

 and white sugars none. Various authors have proposed methods 

 for detecting admixtures of adulterants based upon this fact. Upon 

 these two facts the chemist depends principally for the detection of 

 adulteration. Mr. Jones further says: "The color of maple products 

 is no indication of purity. Pure goods may be almost snow white, 

 or they may be nearly jet black or any intermediate shade of brown. 

 The color of pure goods is largely dependent on the methods used in 

 handling and boiling the sap." In general the first run of sap pro- 

 duces a much lighter colored sirup and sugar than the later runs. 



The odor of the product is of little value in determining the purity. 

 Fresh goods have the very characteristic odor, but on standing or in 

 dry samples of sugar the odor is apt to be " bound up." 



The taste is likewise of little value, as the flavor of the products 

 from different sections of the country varies in strength. Jones 

 gives the following characteristics of maple products from various 

 localities: Pennsylvania sweet and flat (often like molasses) maple 

 flavor; Ohio mild, delicate (almost to flatness) maple flavor; Ver- 

 mont mild, delicate, good maple flavor; New York strong maple 

 flavor; Canada good maple flavor, dark in color with strong flavor. 



DETERMINATIONS TO BE MADE. 



From this discussion it is seen that ordinarily it is sufficient to make 

 the following determinations: 



1. Moisture. 



2. Polarization at 20 C. before and after inversion. 



3. Percentage of reducing sugars, figured as invert sugar. 



4. Winton's lead number. 



5. Percentage of ash (total). 



6. Percentage of soluble and insoluble ash. 

 [Cir. 40] 



