Latest developments in the maple nectar project
At CDL, each of our posts is an opportunity to keep you updated on our innovative projects. It’s my personal duty to let you know about the Maple Nectar project—a project I truly believe will benefit the entire maple syrup industry in the near future.
First, here’s a little refresher on what Maple Nectar is. It’s a new sweetening agent derived from maple sap with a final Brix higher than 60. It isn’t altered, denatured, or overheated, which means it keeps the same nutrients as sap straight from the tree. In addition, it’s produced with equipment that uses 100% green or carbon-neutral energy.
We’ve just finished phase 3 of the project, and here are the latest developments:
Since 2021, Maple Nectar has been recognized as an innovative maple product by the Producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec (PPAQ) and the Conseil de l’industrie de l’érable (CIE).
- The Centre ACER is CDL’s scientific partner. They will be validating more research results next season.
- We gave a talk on the project at this year’s International Maple Conference in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, in October. Our colleague Steve O’Farrell was the guest expert for the event.
- Larger-scale production of the Maple Nectar is planned for the 2024 season. CDL’s technology centre is planning the final phase of development in the 2023 season.
- Potential partners in the beverage industry have started to try and use this new sweetening agent as an ingredient. Their goal is to produce beverages that are better for your health We’ll have more details on the project for you at our next Open House. The CDL team is looking forward to it!
From left to right: raw maple sap, ultrafiltered sap, ultrafiltered concentrated sap, 66 Brix maple nectar.
