Maple Syrup is one of the most representative characteristic products of Canada. From Quebec City along the St. Lawrence River to the west to Niagara Falls, that is Canada’s famous “Maple Avenue.” There are tens of thousands of sugar factories in this 800 km long area, with an annual output of 32,000 tons of maple sugar, accounting for more than 75% of the world’s total production. Maple syrup is a natural product that contains no pigment or additives and comes from the sap of Acer Saccharum, or Acer saccharum. Maple syrup and its by-products are popular with consumers all over the world. Canada produces about 85% of the world’s maple syrup. The total production of Canadian maple syrup in 2003 was 34,000 tons, with farms valued at about $154 million. In Canada, more than 10,300 maple syrup producers collect maple sap from 35 million sap collections. Canada is a major exporter of maple syrup, exporting about 30,000 tons of maple syrup to more than 40 countries in 2003, with a total value of $147 million. The United States is Canada’s largest export market, accounting for 81 percent of its total exports, followed by Europe at 12 percent and Asia at 6 percent. Marketing is shifting from traditional markets to higher value-added markets, such as mixing with other products such as cereals and yoghurt. Since more than 60 per cent of maple syrup is exported as packaged finished products, the industry also contributes to Canadian value-added exports.

There are three kinds of used to make maple sugar maple: sugar maple, maple, red and black. These three maple sap sugar content as high as two 5, but the black maple is considered by some botanists as sugar maple subspecies. Because germination changes the taste of maple syrup, and red maple is the first of the three, the production period is shorter than the other two. A few other species of maple are also used to make maple sugar, such as the Manitoba, silver and large leaf maple. Birch, maple and palm trees are also used to make syrups, but the syrups are not usually called maple syrup.

During the growing season, maples gather starch. As the spring thaw sets in, enzymes convert the starch into sugar and mix it with the water absorbed by the roots, creating a slightly sweet taste. Maple sap mainly contains water about 97 percent, minerals, organic acids and maple enzyme precursor. In early March, maple sap begins to be produced and lasts for six to eight weeks. maple sap provides energy for the tree to grow. During the sugar phase of the tree, each tree can produce 35 to 50 liters of sap, which can produce 1 to 1.5 liters of maple syrup. It takes 40 liters of sap to produce an average liter of maple syrup. In traditional sugar maple forests, maple sap is still collected by manual shuttling between trees in large barrels. In modern sugar maple forests, piping systems have been used to collect sap, which is transported directly to maple sugar processing tents, where it is heated and vaporized.

Maple sugar is a very complicated process. Maple syrup is collected in March and April each year, and the right temperature is needed to collect maple sap. Maple sap can be produced only at 0℃ at night and above 5℃ in the daytime. The temperature at which maple syrup is boiled is generally kept above the boiling point of water at 4 ° C. The farmer drills a hole about five centimeters deep into the trunk of a sugar maple tree that is more than 40 years old. He plugs a tube into the tree and hangs a bucket that collects the sap. The sap drips slowly into the bucket. It takes about 30 to 45 liters of sap to make one liter of maple syrup. A maple tree about 25 cm in diameter, generally only one hole, so that it has the ability to rest, restore vitality. Old maples can usually bore three or four holes. According to the Federal government, maple syrup can be divided into three grades of color, transparency and taste, namely the highest grade — the thick original maple syrup, best eaten straight away; Level 2 – slightly less flavorful, amber in color; Grade 3 – Darkest color, suitable for food additives. Maple syrup is usually served directly on pancakes. Maple syrup another way, is called “snow maple juice”, namely the winter in Canada, the locals on a clean piece of wood with clean snow, boil maple syrup directly spray on the snow, maple syrup will slowly solidified, then with a small stick son, roll the condensed soft maple sugar slowly very chewy maple sugar candy bars.

Maple sugar is mainly composed of sucrose and water, and contains small amounts of other forms of sugar. Maple sugar contains a small amount of malic acid, which gives it a slightly sour taste. The mineral content in maple sugar is quite low, mainly potassium and calcium. Zinc and manganese are low, but still considerable for one’s nutritional needs. The amino acids in maple sugar reach detectable levels, which may account for the mellower taste of late-ripening maple sugar. Maple sugar also contains other volatile organic compounds, such as vanillin, acetoin and propyl aldehyde, which may be the source of its unique flavor. Maple sugar has about the same number of calories as sugar, but is a good source of manganese and zinc relative to sugar, at 0.44 and 0.55 milligrams per 13 grams of maple sugar. Maple sugar contains 10 times as much calcium as honey and only a tenth as much sodium. The scientists found that the natural phenol in maple sugar, a natural antioxidant, may have some effect on type 2 diabetes. A total of 34 new compounds were found in pure maple sugar in this study, and five phenols had never been found in nature before. A phenol, produced when maple sugar is boiled and heated, is named Quebec phenol. Maple syrup contains a considerable amount of zinc, iron and vitamin B1 and other complex Vitamin B components. In addition, 50 ml of maple syrup contains 4 percent of the recommended daily intake of calcium, 3 percent of potassium, and 2 percent of magnesium and riboflavin.