91制片厂

Long before the snow melts and the heavy coats get stored for the season, the quintessential signs that spring is not too far away in New Hampshire are maple trees that become dotted with buckets and the coming alive of the sugar shacks that have been hibernating for many months. In 2022, three New England states鈥擬aine, New Hampshire and Vermont鈥攁nd New York were in the . Soon, however, maple syrup may have some friendly competition. New research led by scientists examines how tapping non-maple trees鈥攆or example, birch and beech, which the Granite State also has in 鈥攃ould increase the economic resiliency of the state鈥檚 syrup producers and offer intriguing alternatives to breakfast staples, while providing important ecosystem benefits.

, a member of the , led the research, which focused on identifying best management practices for harvesting sap and producing syrup from a variety of deciduous trees native to New Hampshire. Moore 鈥� along with a team of current and former 91制片厂 researchers 鈥� that appeared in the NH Agricultural Experiment Station鈥檚 .

Moore, a longtime syrup producer, previously produced birch and sycamore syrup commercially for the Lee-based business The Crooked Chimney.

鈥淲hen I was an undergraduate at 91制片厂, I did a research project on birch syrup during my senior year to determine which New England birch species was best for syrup production,鈥� said Moore. 鈥淧aper birch (Betula papyrifera) sap had, on average, about twice the sugar content as saps from sweet birch (Betula lenta) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis).鈥�

鈥淏irch syrup has such an intriguing taste that鈥檚 so different from maple syrup,鈥� he added, 鈥渟o I began exploring what other types of trees could be used for syrup production.鈥�

And although many of the non-maple trees that Moore taps鈥攂y drilling a small hole into a tree and attaching a sap collection system鈥攃ontain sap with a much lower sugar concentration than maple, the syrup produced from the sap of those 鈥渁lternative鈥� trees can fetch four or five times more (about $300 per gallon) as maple syrup does.

Partly in response to market demand, alternative syrup producers are increasing. Twenty years ago, there were no commercial birch syrup producers in New England. Now there are about half a dozen. And alternative syrups mean new opportunities across the Granite State, where beech, white birch and yellow birch rank in the top 10 most abundant tree species (along with red and sugar maple), according to the .

The production of alternative syrups also offers ecological benefits. The syrup industry鈥檚 primary reliance on one tree species puts it risk from extreme climate events, pests and pathogens, market changes and other uncertainties. A more diverse sugarbush (a forest of trees tapped for sap) means lower risk if one species is impacted and would offer greater climate resilience.

To complement Moore's research, work done by Shadi Atallah, an associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign鈥檚 College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, and 91制片厂 graduate research assistant Jawad Khan showed that providing information to consumers about the type of syrup they are sampling, as well as the potential advantages of promoting sugarbush and forest diversification, resulted in an increase in willingness to pay for a 12.7-oz bottle by as much as $1.10.

鈥淚 thought initially that these new syrups would compete with the maple syrup market, but after talking with folks, I don鈥檛 necessarily think that happens,鈥� said Moore. 鈥淲hat often occurs is that people who really enjoy pure maple syrup find out that syrup can be produced from different trees and that these different syrups have new flavors, and they get excited to try them.鈥�

鈥淚n a sense, these different syrups all complement each other in the market,鈥� he added.

A Taste of Difference

Many are familiar with the taste of syrup that comes from maple tree sap. However, different tree species offer entirely different tastes in the syrup that comes from their sap. For example, the taste of birch syrup can vary depending on the processing method and range from a smoky and burnt flavor to a sweet, light palate with a hint of raspberry, said Moore.

On the other hand, beech tastes akin to your maple syrups, but walnut syrup has a little smoother and nuttier taste than maples, whereas sycamore tastes like honey or butterscotch.

鈥淚鈥檝e had birch syrup that tastes like molasses and birch syrup that tastes almost fruity,鈥� described Moore. 鈥淏irch syrup pairs very nicely with savory foods 鈥� some folks don鈥檛 like the taste of it right away, but when they try it in a dish, they love it.鈥�

鈥淚 think sycamore syrup is my favorite out of the bunch 鈥� it鈥檚 got such a light, sweet, distinct flavor when it鈥檚 made right.鈥�

It鈥檚 All in the Sugar

Besides water, the most prevalent molecules in sap are sugars. Sucrose鈥攐r your common table sugar鈥攊s the primary sugar found in sugar maple sap, whereas birch sap largely contains fructose and glucose. Fructose breaks down at lower temperatures than both glucose and sucrose. However, recent technologies like reverse osmosis that don鈥檛 rely on heat to concentrate sap can help make the syrup production process more efficient while maintaining the flavor profile, said Moore.

鈥淏oiling sap using heat is desirable for many reasons 鈥� it helps develop the nice, caramelized flavor that we love, and it often makes sense for sugarmakers to use wood as a fuel source,鈥� added Moore. 鈥淗owever, reverse osmosis greatly reduces the amount of fuel you use and really makes a difference when burnt off-flavors are a risk.鈥�