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AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK 1.34, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



(b) The standards in this subpart are issued for the 

 purpose of classifying maple sirup packed in containers 

 for table use. It is not intended that they shall apply to 

 sirup which is packed in drums or other large containers 

 for later reprocessing. Another set of standards entitled 

 "U.S. Standards for Maple Sirup for Reprocessing" has 

 been issued for this purpose (§ § 52.5921-62.5926). 



Grades 



U.S. Grade AA (Fancy) . 



U.S. Grade AA (Fancy) Table Maple Sirup shall consist 

 of maple sirup which meets the following requirements: 



(a) The color shall not be darker than light amber as 

 represented by the color standards of the U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



(b) The sirup shall not be cloudier than light amber 

 cloudy standard as represented by the standards of the 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture for cloudiness. 



(c) The weight shall be not less than 11 pounds per 

 gallon of 231 cubic inches at 68 degrees F. corresponding 

 to 65.4' degrees Brix or 35.27 degrees Baume (Bureau of 

 Standards Baume scale for sugar solutions, modulus 145). 



(d) The sirup shall possess a characteristic maple flavor, 

 shall be clean, free from fermentation, and free from 

 damage caused by scorching, buddiness, any objectiona- 

 ble flavor or odor or other means. 



U.S. Grade A 



(a) U.S. Grade A Table Maple Sirup shall consist of 

 maple sirup which meets the requirements for U.S. Grade 

 AA (Fancy) Table Maple Sirup except for color and cloudi- 

 ness. 



(b) The color shall not be darker than medium amber as 

 represented by the color standards of the U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



(c) The sirup shall not be cloudier than medium amber 

 cloudy standard as represented by the standards of the 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture for cloudiness. 



U.S. Grade B 



(a) U.S. Grade B Table Maple Sirup shall consist of 

 maple sirup which meets the requirements for U.S. Grade 

 AA (Fancy) Table Maple Sirup except for color and cloudi- 

 ness. 



(b) The color shall not be darker than dark amber as 

 repre.sented by the color standards of the U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



(c) The sirup shall not be cloudier than dark amber 

 cloudy standard as represented by the standards of the 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture for cloudiness. 



' The density requirement was changed in 1974 to 66.0° 

 Brix {130a). 



Unclassified 



Unclassified Table Maple Sirup shall consist of maple 

 sirup which has not been classified in accordance with the 

 foregoing grades. The term "Unclassified" is not a grrade 

 within the meaning of the standards in this subpart but 

 is provided as a designation to show that no definite 

 grade has been applied to the lot. 



Tolerance, Packing 



Tolerances for preceding grades 



In order to allow for variations incident to proper 

 grading and handling, not more than 5 percent, by count, 

 of the containers in any lot may have sirup below the 

 requirements for the grade: Provided, That no part of this 

 tolerance shall be allowed for defects causing "serious 

 damage": And provided further. That no tolerance is 

 permitted for sirup that is darker in color than that 

 which is required for the next lower grade. 



Packing 



(a) Containers shall be clean and new in appearance. 

 Tin containers shall not be rusty. 



(b) In order to allow for variations incident to proper 

 packing, not more than 5 percent, by count, of the con- 

 tainers in any lot may fail to meet these requirements. 



Explanation of Terms 



(a) "Cloudiness" means presence in suspension of fine 

 particles of mineral matter, such as malate of lime, 

 "niter," "sugar sand," or other substances that detract 

 from the clearness of the sirup. 



(b) "Clean" means that the sirup shall be practically 

 free from foreign material such as pieces of bark, soot, 

 dust, and dirt. 



(c) "Damage" means any defect that materially affects 

 the appearance or the edibility or shipping quality of the 

 sirup. 



(d) "Serious damage" means any defect that seriously 

 affects the edibility or market value of the sirup. Badly 

 scorched sirup, buddy sirup, fermented sirup or sirup that 

 has any distasteful foreign flavor or disagreeable odor 

 shall be considered as seriously damaged. 



Summary 



(1) Sirup sold directly to the consumer must 

 meet State and Federal specifications. 



(2) The package and label must meet State and 

 Federal specifications. 



(3) Know your State law and Federal specifica- 

 tions governing the retail sale of maple 

 products. 



\1APLE PRODUCTS 



Many producers have found that the gross 

 returns of their maple crop can be increased 

 fi'om 20 to 160 percent by converting their sirup 



to sugar or to confections such as maple cream, 

 soft sugar candies, and maple spreads. The 8 

 pounds of sugar in a gallon of sirup is worth $1 



