Development of Valorization and Risk Management Strategy for Downgraded Maple Syrups (VR2/CT2) Based on the Analysis of Its Chemical and Microbiological Composition

Microbial contamination of bulk maple syrup (large containers of more than 5 L) is a quality issue that is receiving a lot of attention in the maple syrup industry. In 2022, this quality issue resulted in monetary losses exceeding $3 million for the Producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec (PPAQ). The PPAQ and the Conseil de l'industrie de l'érable (CIE) are currently working on a strategy to minimize microbial contamination at the source. Despite these measures, microbial contamination will continue to be observered and the maple syrup industry must base its decisions regarding the management of syrups on evidence-based data.

Currently, the nature and types of microbial contamination of bulk maple syrup are not known and the maple syrup industry needs this information to ensure that quality control procedures and risk management strategies are in line with the actual risk associated with this type of maple syrup. The proposed project aims at a complete microbiological characterization of the downgraded syrups by microbial counts and biomolecular analyses, in addition to evaluating the presence of toxins associated with these contaminations. The conditions of growth and survival of microorganisms in maple syrup will also be evaluated and the performance of the heat treatment commonly used in the industry during containerization will be investigated in relation to this type of microbial contamination.