Maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup? There is a difference
Real maple syrup and maple-flavored syrup are both deliciously sweet and derived from plants, but they differ significantly.
Unless labeled “real maple syrup,” the syrup you purchase for your favorite breakfast foods is primarily made from corn. Some immediately observable differences include the price, texture and flavor. Real maple syrup tends to cost more and run thinner than maple-flavored syrup, and most folks can taste a clear difference between the two.
The biggest difference of course, is the ingredient list. Real maple syrup is just that – pure maple syrup. Maple-flavored syrup, however, typically contains corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, salt, caramel coloring and artificial flavors. Exact ingredients vary by brand and variety.
While both syrups are sugary and high in energy, metabolizing similarly to table sugar, real maple syrup provides some nutritional value, including manganese, zinc, riboflavin, magnesium, calcium and potassium. Corn syrup offers no nutritional benefits. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, corn syrup is no worse for your health than other sweeteners, such as table sugar, but moderation is key. The FDA considers maple syrup, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup as natural products.
Real maple syrup is crafted from the sap of maple trees, often sugar maple, the state tree of New York. A sugarbush, a managed stand of maple trees, is tapped. The sap is collected and brought to a sugar house, where it is heated to evaporate excess water, resulting in the beloved maple syrup. It is then filtered, hot-packed into bottles labeled real maple syrup, and sold at farm stands and grocery stores. While most maple syrup in the US comes from Vermont, numerous sugar houses in the area offer fresh, local products. A listing of local maple producers can be found in the Ontario County Buy Local Guide, available online at https://cceontario.org/agriculture/local-foods.
To make corn syrup, we must start by making corn starch. Dried, shelled corn is shipped to a processing plant where it is cleaned and moved to steep tanks. This corn is typically Yellow No. 2 Dent Corn that is grown and processed in the western United States. These kernels will spend 20 to 40 hours in steep tanks, soaking and softening in a weak sulfuric acid. The soft kernels are then milled to separate the germ (containing mostly corn oil) from the pulp (containing the starch, protein and fiber). The pulp is then filtered, to remove the protein and fiber, which will be used for cereals and animal feed. Once the starch is mostly isolated, it is washed eight to 14 times to remove any remaining proteins. The resulting product is 99.5% pure cornstarch.
Cornstarch can then be used to make corn syrup. The first sweeteners from corn starch were made in Buffalo in 1866 using the acid method, which is still used today. By adding hydrochloric acid and heating the mixture under pressure, the starch is transformed into dextrose and fructose sugars. The longer this process continues, the more fructose there will be, and the sweeter the resulting syrup. Corn syrup is nearly 100% dextrose, whereas high fructose corn syrup is about 50% dextrose and 50% fructose. The corn syrup is then refined; color corrected, filtered, and any excess water is evaporated off. The resulting corn syrup can then be used as the base for maple-flavored syrup.
Both types of syrup have a high sugar content, just over 200 calories per serving, and quickly metabolize in the body. The texture, flavor and color differ. Real maple syrup tends to be more expensive, but it does offer some nutrients where corn syrup does not.
Real maple syrup has far fewer ingredients and can be locally sourced, but either option should be consumed in moderation. In the end, whichever your preference, consuming either real maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup supports U.S. agriculture.
Emma Wilson is agriculture awareness and literacy educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County, which is a nonprofit educational organization with a mission to extend research-based information from Cornell University to county residents. For details, call 585-394-3977 or visit www.cceontario.org.