Quebec maple syrup producers using gold nanoparticles to test quality
The maple syrup we pour on our pancakes is the product of high-precision work, and its quality is scrupulously inspected before it's sold.
But sometimes, unwanted flavours can creep into the syrup and lessen its grade, much to the chagrin of maple syrup producers.
Fortunately, researchers at the Université de Montréal (UdeM), in collaboration with the Producteurs et Producrices acéricoles du Québec (PPAQ) and producers in the field, have developed an easy way to test the sap using gold particles and nanotechnology.
Gold particles as thin as one-hundredth the width of a hair turn red in the liquid where they rest. But when maple sap is added, the liquid turns blue.
"It's like a pH test, or a chlorine test for the pool," explains UdeM chemistry professor Jean-Francois Masson, who co-created the COLORI test.
The more drops you can add before the colour changes, the more likely the syrup will be of good quality.
This year, 250 seasonal kits were distributed as part of a pilot project, and researchers expect to invest more widely in 2024.
The technology allows producers to test for quality before "putting a lot of energy and time" into making their syrup, said PPAQ spokesperson Joël Vaudeville.
They can also sample and compare sap from different trees on the often-large properties.
Vaudeville says the test is "very simple to use" on-site, and an analysis grid is provided so producers can interpret the results themselves.
"It allows them to make business decisions."
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, flavour defects "can be a trace of caramel, which is more common in amber or dark syrup, or a trace of sap of bud, which is more common in late-season syrups," among other things.
Defective syrups are usually used exclusively in processing plants and kept off store shelves.
There are four main classes of syrup. Golden, with a delicate taste, comes with the beginning of the maple season. As time progresses, the colour becomes darker and the taste more pronounced.
"With climate change, spring weather has become very variable," said Masson, adding that for the past ten years, producers have increasingly found "atypical flavour profiles," especially at the end of the season.
Research to further the test was published in the journal ACS Food Science & Technology.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Marh 26, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Police investigating shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Stormy Daniels is expected to appear at Trump's hush money trial on Tuesday
Donald Trump returns to the hush money trial Tuesday facing a threat of jail time for additional gag order violations as prosecutors gear up to summon big-name witnesses including porn actor Stormy Daniels.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.