Maple. Science. The study of sweet!

Transcription

1 Maple Science The study of sweet!

2 Pure Maple Syrup vs. Nutrition Facts Serving size: 5 tbsp Nutrition Facts Serving size: 5 tbsp Amount per serving Calories 200 Calories from fat 0 % Daily Value Total Fat 0g 0% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 9mg 0.4% Total Carbohydrate 67g 22% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Protein 0g 0% Amount per serving Calories 275 Calories from fat 0 % Daily Value Total Fat 0g 0% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 75mg 3% Total Carbohydrate 68g 23% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Protein 0g 0% Calcium 8% Iron 10% Zinc 31% Potassium 10% Copper 4% Magnesium 4% Manganese 94% Phosphorus 0.2% Thiamin 0.4% Riboflavin 0.7% Niacin 0.2% Vitamin B6 0.1% Maple Syrup has all these minerals that Aunt Jemima s is missing!

3 More than just sugar and water! Maple syrup contains: Carbohydrates (Sugars, mainly sucrose) Organic acids (used to break down carbs, fats and proteins) Vitamins Minerals (mostly potassium and calcium) Trace amounts of Amino Acids (building blocks of proteins) How does maple syrup compare? Pure maple syrup is good for your liver! Maple syrup Karo Corn Syrup Aunt Jemima Syrup Honey Molasses 40 calories per tbsp 60 calories per tbsp 55 calories per tbsp 45 calories per tbsp 40 calories per tbsp What is sugar sand? Sugar sand is a gritty, brown substance that accumulates in the syrup during the boiling process and is filtered out before bottling. Sugar sand is mainly minerals, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, iron and copper. It also contains trace amounts of sugar and organic acids. What does it taste like? Sand!

4 Will Climate Change effect Maple Sugaring? There are two major ways that climate change could impact the industry: #1 In a recent study by Cornell University, researchers predicted that by the year 2100, temperatures will warm enough that spring thaws required for sugaring will begin earlier. This means maple producers will be tapping up to one month earlier than in However, they noted that if producers are able to adapt to this earlier time period, days of sap flow will not be lost. #2 As temperatures rise and local climates change, the southernmost part of the sugar maple s range will become too warm for the tree. Over long periods of time, the Sugar Maple s range is projected to shift dramatically northward, leaving some sugarbushes out of luck (United States Global Change Research Program). The maps on the opposite page show a best and worst case prediction for changes in suitable habitat for Sugar Maples. Why? The United States Global Change Research Program s impact report for the Northeast region of our country states that: Over the next several decades, temperatures in the Northeast are projected to rise an additional 2.5 to 4º F in winter and 1.5 to 3.5º F in summer. Winters in the Northeast are projected to be much shorter with fewer cold days and more precipitation. The change in weather patterns in the sugaring region may also result in: more ice storms which cause damage to sugar maple trees an increase in malicious insects and diseases which affect sugar maples a decrease in snowpack, leaving roots less insulated from frigid temperatures

5 Potential changes in suitable habitat for Sugar Maples because of Climate Change ~US Forest Service~ The current range of the Sugar Maple based on field data. The current suitable habitat as predicted by the model used by the Forest Service. The future suitable habitat predicted by the Hadley climate model. Hi signifies a future in which our current rates of emissions do not change. The future suitable habitat predicted by the PCM climate model. Lo signifies a future in which our current emissions are drastically decreased. The future suitable habitat predicted by the average of three climate models. Hi signifies a future in which our current emissions do not change. The future suitable habitat predicted by the average of three climate models. Lo signifies a future in which our current emissions are drastically decreased.

6 M ysteries of the Sugar Maple... Xylem, not phloem! Xylem and Phloem are the tree s plumbing system, moving water and food from the roots to the branches and back down again. The phloem moves the tree s nutrients (sugar!) throughout all the parts of the tree and the xylem moves water. If you had to guess, you would say that the sap comes from the phloem, since sap contains sugar. However, when we collect maple sap, we are actually collecting it from the xylem, not the phloem. This sounds backwards! Only during the early spring does the xylem transport sugar along with water. The rest of the year it moves only water, as it s supposed to. WEIRD! Sucrose is the secret ingredient. Scientists have been working for decades trying to figure out exactly how sap flows through the sugar maple tree. Why does a change in temperature cause a flow? Why do certain trees give more sap than others? What researchers have discovered, is that sap does not flow unless there is sucrose (a type of sugar) in the sap. BUT THEY DON T KNOW WHY! Water or air...i m confused. The xylem is composed of two types of cells: 1. Fibers, which provide strength to the tree, and 2. Vessels, which transport water (and sap in spring). In trees we use for sugaring (mostly the Sugar Maple), the fibers are filled with air and the vessels are filled with water. This doesn t sound so mysterious until you learn that in all other trees, fibers are filled with water and vessels are filled with air...the opposite! Hmmmm... Why the Sugar Maple? Most of all, we wonder why the sugar maple and other maples contain the sweet sap we need to make maple syrup. Why didn t oak trees or elm trees develop sweet sap like the maple? How can some trees, like pine trees, have such sticky, bitter sap while maples have such sweet and thin sap? THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW!

7 Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit Predicting Sap Flow Ideal conditions for sap flow are when temperatures are below freezing at night and above freezing during the day. The table below shows the low night temperatures and high daytime temperatures for the first 7 days of our 2011 season. The black line is 32ºF, the freezing point. 70 Camp Whitewood 2011 Sugaring Season: Week Low Temperature 30 High Temperature Mar 2-Mar 3-Mar 4-Mar 5-Mar 6-Mar 7-Mar Predict which days were good for sap flow then turn the page to see if you re right!

8 Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit Gallons of sap collected Predicting Sap Flow Check your prediction with the green line, which shows the amount of sap collected. Refer to the scale at the right to see how many gallons were collected on each day. 70 Camp Whitewood 2011 Sugaring Season: Week Low Temperature High Temperature Gallons of sap Mar 2-Mar 3-Mar 4-Mar 5-Mar 6-Mar 7-Mar Did your prediction match the actual data? If not, here are a few things to think about: Many times, a lot of the sap we collect on a certain day actually flowed into the bucket on the day before. If we collected from 9am until 12pm, all the sap dripping into the bucket the rest of the afternoon would be collected and recorded on the next day. On days with minimal sap flow, we waited to collect until the next day. So even if the sap did flow a little bit on one day, that day would still show a zero. High and low temperatures were measured outside the sugar house, but many of our trees are a mile away, down in the bottom of the gorge, or on a south facing slope. This means that the temperatures at the actual trees might not have been exactly what the thermometer in the sugar house read. There can be a lag between freezing air temperatures and the trees themselves freezing and the same with thawing. This may skew expected flow rates seen in the chart. During a thaw cycle, above-freezing temperatures may only have been maintained for a few hours. Many times it takes most of the day for the temperature to rise above freezing, leaving little time for sap flow before nighttime freezing returns.