Tapping Into Maple’s Magic

While maple syrup is often associated with pancakes and waffles, the use of maple extends far beyond the breakfast table, adding interest to everything from maple salad dressings and sauces to maple cereals and baked goods. But whether found in simple breakfasts or haute cuisine, the flavor of maple is linked to natural and wholesome foods.

Maple production

Maple syrup is made from the sap of the sugar maple tree. Maple sap, the watery fluid that feeds the sugar maple tree’s roots, trunk, branches and leaves, will “run” when the temperatures move above and below freezing. Maple syrup production, or the “sugaring off” season, occurs once a year for six to eight weeks beginning in mid-February.

Maple syrup production requires optimal temperatures and sugar maple trees. Thus, it can only be made in a small geographic area of northeastern North America. Quebec produces more than 80% of the world’s maple syrup, equal to 93% of Canadian production.

Maple producers insert a tap into the tree to collect the sap. While traditional maple producers relied on buckets and spouts, today’s maple-syrup producers use gravity-fed plastic tubing and pipelines and vacuum pumps to collect the sap. The vacuum pumps do not suck sap from the trees, but rather help lower the pressure in the pipeline system to allow the sap to flow easily.

It takes about 40 to 60 years for the sugar maple trees to grow large enough for tapping. Holes are typically drilled on an upward angle to a depth of not more than three inches. Tapping will not injure the tree as long as the sugar maple tree is healthy and the number of taps is limited.

The maple sap is boiled and evaporated to make maple syrup. It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup. The boiling and evaporating of maple syrup is typically done in a sugar cabin (evaporator house). The maple sap has a sugar density of about 1% to 3.5%. Maple syrup is made when the sugar density reaches 66%. Maple syrup is filtered to remove any organic materials found in the sap. The maple syrup is then graded based on color and flavor.

Maple syrup grades

Maple syrup is graded according to its clarity, density and the characteristic taste of maple. The color classifications are based on measuring the amount of light that passes through the maple syrup.

• U.S. Grade A Light Amber/Fancy; Canada No. 1 Extra Light; Quebec Grade AA—Maple syrup produced at the very beginning of the season. Very pale color and delicate taste. Light transmittance over 75%.
• U.S. Grade A Medium Amber; Canada No. 1; Quebec Grade A Light—Maple syrup produced at the beginning of the season. Pale amber in color with a pure, subtle taste. Light transmittance of 61% to 74%.
• U.S. Grade A Dark Amber; Canada No. 1 Medium; Quebec Grade B—Produced in the middle of the season, this maple syrup is the most popular grade available. A rich amber color with a more pronounced flavor. Light transmittance of 44% to 60%.
• U.S. Grade B Commercial; Canada No. 2 Amber; Quebec Grade C—Maple syrup produced near the end of the season. Strong maple taste and dark color. Light transmittance of 27% to 43%.
• U.S. Grade B Commercial; Canada No. 3 Dark; Quebec Grade D—Maple syrup produced at the very end of the season. Very dark syrup used primarily as food processing ingredient. Highest mineral content. Light transmittance of 0% to 26%.

The flavor of maple

As a general rule, lighter-colored maple syrups have a more delicate flavor, while darker-colored maple syrups have a stronger flavor. The flavor is also influenced by the growing region of the sugar maple trees.

Maple’s flavor develops during the evaporation process. The taste begins with the maple sap, which is rich in organic acids, nitrogen compounds, phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Sugars play an important role as they initiate the caramelization and Maillard reaction as the water is evaporating. Maple syrup is a combination of sugars: saccharose 66% ± 4.5; fructose 0.3% ± 0.8; glucose 0.5% ± 1.8; oligosaccharides 0.3%; and polysaccharide 1.4%. These two complex sugars increase during the season (higher levels occur at the end of the season). Under the effect of the heat, phenols such as vanillin and coniferol are released.

Buckets of maple products

Suppliers in Quebec have developed several natural maple syrup and maple products. While maple syrup is the most common form of maple available, other forms of maple products include sugars, jelly, butter, clearly maple syrup spread, concentrate/glaze and maple flakes. Maple is a natural product with no coloring agents or additives.

The following is an overview of some of these products and how they can be used by food manufacturers:

Maple syrup is produced by the evaporation of the sap of the maple tree. It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap (also called maple water) to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup. Maple syrup has a sugar content of about 66%. Maple syrup contributes moisture to baked goods and mixes easily with other ingredients for sauces and dressings.

Clearly Maple is a product that begins as pure maple syrup and then is altered by adding a processing aid that is later removed to create a higher invert sugar content. The result is a honey-like consistency product made of only pure maple syrup.

Thick and spreadable, maple butter is a whipped version of clearly maple that works well as a spread or filling. Clearly maple and maple butters also work well as both a flavoring and variegate in ice creams, as well as in barbecue or baking sauces.

Maple concentrates (available in medium and dark) allow chefs and food manufacturers to obtain a strong maple flavor profile. Pure maple syrup concentrates are produced by removing nearly half the sucrose content found in pure maple syrup.

Fine, medium or coarse, maple flakes are made from pure maple syrup dehydrated by a unique and exclusive process. Maple flakes can be used by chefs and food processors to add a sweet maple taste, a crispy texture and all the health benefits of maple syrup to foods such as baked goods.

Maple jelly, jelly made with pure maple syrup, is perfect for spreads and fillings. Some maple jellies are pectin-based while others are not.

Pure maple syrup is often dehydrated into granulated sugar crystals called maple sugar. Maple sugar can be substituted 1:1 for regular granulated sugar in most recipes and formulas. Various granule sizes are available. Maple sugars work well in baked goods, confections and as a beverage sweetener.

Maple vinegar is made from pure maple syrup through alcoholic fermentation and acetic fermentation processes. Maple vinegar can be used to create signature dressings and sauces.

Maple products add a distinctive, natural flavor, as well as sweetness to prepared foods. Unlike refined sweeteners, maple products contain minerals and vitamins.

Splitting that spaghetti? You're not the only one

The question — once considered a bit gauche in some circles — is now being asked by diners of all kinds at restaurants in every price range. With the economy still souring, splitting an appetizer, dessert and even an entree is becoming, for many, an easy way to save a few dollars without sacrificing the indulgence of a dinner out.

"My husband and I try to either split dishes or use a 'buy 1, get 1' coupon every time we go out nowadays," said Jessica Secord of Grand Rapids, Mich., adding that they usually split an entree and other items. "We don't always order dessert or appetizers, but when we do you can guarantee that it's shared."

Restaurants say they are seeing more and more customers like Secord who are using the tactic to slice their eating-out budget.

"People are splitting things like they never have before," said David Pogrebin, general manager of French restaurant Brasserie in New York, where a hamburger costs $18 and an entree can rise above $30.

Pogrebin said he recently noticed three people sharing an iced tea, which comes with unlimited refills. The restaurant didn't stop them.

"Now all bets are off," he said. "People are not ashamed of being frugal."

Thriftiness hasn't always been met with a smile at restaurants. Most diners who have ever asked to split an entree know well the withering look from a server that brands them a penny-pincher.

But in these days of high unemployment and shrinking paychecks, many consumers just don't see being frugal as such a crime.

"I do worry sometimes about people thinking we are being cheap, but I tend to feel that I am still spending money there over eating at home, and I try not to worry about it," said Marcy Robison, a stay-at-home mom from Columbus, Ohio. "In the end, we are trying to be wise stewards of our finances and if someone finds fault with that, so be it."

Robison, who also writes a blog called "Stretching a Buck," said she and her husband typically eat out two or three times a week and frequently split an entree or order two entrees and split them with their 3-year old daughter.

She said that by sharing dishes, the family saves between $5 and $12 each time, depending on where they go.

Of course, the savings can dwindle at restaurants that charge a splitting fee, which can go as high as $5 for an entree.

Some restaurants assess the fee if the chef splits the dinner into two before bringing it to the table. Some dishes aren't easily splittable — pork in bone, for example, can't be cut exactly in half without one person receiving more fat or more bone.

But the hassle may be worth it if it brings more diners to the table. Restaurants have been hard hit by the recession as more consumers cut back or eat at home to save money.

According to industry data service Knapp-Track, which collects monthly sales data from more than 10,000 sit-down restaurants, same-store sales — or sales at stores open at least a year — for sit-down chains dropped an estimated 4.1 percent in January from the same month a year earlier.

For those restaurants and servers willing to accommodate diners asking for halfsies on an entree, some customers may offer at least a small reward — a bigger tip.

"Sometimes I do feel slightly cheap, but we always make sure to tip our waitress as if we purchased two meals," said Kristine Lewis, a student at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. "In fact, if a waitress doesn't make us feel as if we are doing something wrong, we usually feel more generous with the tip."

Nestle cuts investment in bottled water business

Nestle (NESN.VX) is cutting investment in bottled water as it suffers from the economic downturn and environmental concerns, but will push the health benefits to help the business rebound, it said on Tuesday.

Chief Financial Officer Jim Singh told an investor roadshow webcast from London that Nestle had cut capital expenditure on its water business by 275 million Swiss francs ($236 million), or 26 percent, in 2008, and would trim further in 2009.

"Our focus is to defend and grow market share. We have a drive on cutting costs," he said, adding that Nestle planned to trim its portfolio further. "2009 will be a year of stabilisation."

Nestle, the world's biggest bottler of water with brands including Perrier and Poland Spring, said last week its water business was the only one to record falling sales in 2008, down 1.6 percent on an underlying basis to 9.6 billion francs.

But Chief Executive Paul Bulcke said Nestle was not giving up on the business, noting that its Pure Life brand was still growing strongly and said the industry had to do more to improve its image and advertise the health benefits of water.

"I really believe this is a category that is going to grow because water is the best beverage around," he said. "We want to be a very healthy alternative to other beverages."

"Because of the intrinsic arguments for water we strongly believe this is a good category and it's going to have growth again in the years to come," he said.

Environmental groups have campaigned against bottled water, saying resources are wasted in bottling and transporting water which may be no safer or healthier than tap water, while selling for up to a thousand times the price.

But Bulcke said criticism of bottled water was irresponsible because it was pushing consumers towards high-calorie drinks.

Nestle shares, which rallied last week when it gave a relatively upbeat outlook for 2009, were down 0.6 percent at 38.44 Swiss francs at 1128 GMT, in line with the Dow Jones Stoxx European food and beverage index .SX3P. (Reporting by Katie Reid and Emma Thomasson; Editing by Rupert Winchester) ($1=1.165 Swiss Franc)

Coconut-palm oil blend could offer trans-fat free shortenings for bakery: Study

A blend of oils from coconut and palm could produce a plastic fat for use as a shortening in bakery products as a trans-fat replacer, says new research from India.

Tapping into the wider industry move to reduce or remove the presence of trans-fatty acids from products, researchers from the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore report that a blend of fractionated coconut oil and palm oil has the potential to replace partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

“Melting profiles of the blends containing 30 per cent and 40 per cent palm stearins were comparable with that of a commercial bakery shortening,” wrote the researchers in the journal Food Chemistry.

In addition to offering a replacement for trans-fats, the fractionated coconut oil may also confer some health benefits of its own, said the researchers. “These blends contained 47-52.3 per cent medium-chain fatty acids which are reported to have various health benefits,” they added.

Trans fats and heart health

Though trace amounts of trans fats are found naturally, in dairy and meats, the vast majority are formed during the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oil (PHVO) that converts the oil into semi-solids for a variety of food applications.

Trans fats are attractive for the food industry due to their extended shelf life and flavour stability, and have displaced natural solid fats and liquid oils in many areas of food processing.

But scientific reports that trans fatty acids raise serum levels of LDL-cholesterol, reduce levels of HDL-cholesterol, can promote inflammation can cause endothelial dysfunction, and influence other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), has led to a well-publicized bans in New York City restaurants, and other cities, like Boston and Chicago, considering similar measures.

In the food industry this has been mirrored by an increase the in pressure on food manufacturers to reduce or remove trans fatty acids from their products and reformulate.

The food industry as a whole has expressed its commitment to removing trans fatty acids from its products, but such reformulation is not straightforward and presents challenges.

Study details

The Mysore-based researchers fractionated coconut and palm oil to obtain coconut stearin of 40 and 60 per cent, and palm stearin of 13.8 per cent. They tested different blends of these stearins and found that the blends containing between 60 and 70 per cent coconut stearin (and 30 to 40 per cent palm stearins) “had the wider melting range required for plastic fats and the melting profiles were comparable with that of a commercial bakery shortening”.

Analysis of the fat composition showed that the blends contained both the lower and higher molecular weight triglycerides necessary for plastic fats. No trans fatty acids were observed in the blends, but they were present in the commercial shortening used as a comparison.

“Thus, medium-chain triglycerides-rich trans-free plastic fat suitable for use in bakery products can be prepared utilising coconut oil,” they concluded.