Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan 4;12(2):239.
doi: 10.3390/foods12020239.

What Is Authentic Maple Water? A Twelve-Month Shelf-Life Study of the Chemical Composition of Maple Water and Its Biological Activities

Kara J Torrey  1 , Yongqiang Liu  1 , Huifang Li  1 , Hang Ma  1 , Christopher W Via  1 , Matthew J Bertin  1 , Navindra P Seeram  1
Affiliations

What Is Authentic Maple Water? A Twelve-Month Shelf-Life Study of the Chemical Composition of Maple Water and Its Biological Activities

Kara J Torrey et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Maple water (maple sap) products are produced from sap tapped directly from maple trees, but there is confusion and lack of industry consensus and consumer knowledge as to what constitutes 'authentic' maple water. With an immense potential for growth in the multi-billion dollar functional beverage market, the market promotion of maple water products hinges on establishing standards of identity (SI), which are currently lacking. Herein, we aim to provide publishable SI and compositional chemistry findings of maple water. The chemical composition (including polyphenols, sugars, amino acids, and organic acids) of a pasteurized maple water was monitored over a 12-month (at 0, 4, 8, and 12 months) shelf-life. Furthermore, LC-MS/MS and molecular networking-based methods were developed to identify the phytochemical profile of a maple water extract (MWX) and to compare it to a previously chemically characterized phenolic-enriched maple syrup extract (MSX). Both MSX and MWX have similar phytochemical profiles and chemical characteristics. In addition, MSX and MWX showed moderate antioxidant capacity (in free radical scavenging and anti-tyrosinase assays) and anti-inflammatory effects (in soluble epoxide hydrolase and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition assays). Our findings provide critical information on the SI and stability (in chemical composition) of maple water, which will help define, authenticate, and distinguish it from other functional beverages, thereby positioning the maple industry for promotion and growth in this market sector.

Keywords: anti-inflammatory; antioxidant; chemical composition; maple water; shelf-life; standards of identity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in maple water total phenolic content (A), °Bx (B), and pH (C) during a storage time of 12 months at room temperature. Each sample was measured at time points of 0, 4, 8, and 12 months.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in maple water carbohydrate content including sucrose (A), glucose (B), and fructose (C) during a storage time of 12 months at room temperature. Each sample was measured at time points of 0, 4, 8, and 12 months.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Changes in maple water chemicals including amino acids (GLU, GLY, and ARG) (A), minerals (Mg and Mn) (B), and organic acids (malic acid and fumaric acid) (C) during a storage time of 12 months at room temperature. Each sample was measured at time points of 0, 4, 8, and 12 months.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A) An LC-MS/MS-based molecular network of chemicals from MSX and MWX using the GNPS platform and Cytoscape. Red nodes represent compounds present in MWX, while blue nodes represent compounds present in MSX. Compounds present in both extracts (red and blue) are shown in pie percentages out of a total quantification (100%) in both extracts. The size of each node is relative to the quantification amount of each compound based on ion count. Five total compounds were able to be dereplicated through molecular networking: dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol, a phellopterin analogue, monolaurin, adipic acid (adipate), and syringaldehyde. (B) UpSet plot detailing unique metabolite features found in MWX (G1) and MSX (G2). Intersection size shows the features attributable to each sample or found in both samples.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Antioxidant effects of a phenolic free radical scavenger quercetin (A), a unique phenolic named quebecol isolated from maple syrup (B), MSX (C), and MWX (D) evaluated by the DPPH assay.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Antioxidant effects of arbutin (A), quebecol (B), MSX (C), and MWX (D), evaluated by a tyrosinase inhibition assay.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Perkins T.D., van den Berg A.K. Chapter 4 Maple Syrup—Production, Composition, Chemistry, and Sensory Characteristics. Adv. Food Nutr. Res. 2009;56:101–143. doi: 10.1016/s1043-4526(08)00604-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aldret R.L., McDermott M., Aldret S., Davis G., Bellar D. The Acute Effects of a Maple Water Drink on Exercise Responses, Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Overweight College Males. J. Food Nutr. Res. 2022;10:593–599. doi: 10.12691/jfnr-10-9-2. - DOI
    1. Dupuy O., Tremblay J. Impact of Carbohydrate Ingestion on Cognitive Flexibility and Cerebral Oxygenation during High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise: A Comparison between Maple Products and Usual Carbohydrate Solutions. Nutrients. 2019;11:2019. doi: 10.3390/nu11092019. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Matias A., Dudar M., Kauzlaric J., Frederick K.A., Fitzpatrick S., Ives S.J. Rehydrating efficacy of maple water after exercise-induced dehydration. J. Int. Soc. Sports Nutr. 2019;16:5. doi: 10.1186/s12970-019-0273-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lavoie L., Tremblay J. Ingestion of maple-based and other carbohydrate sports drinks: Effect on sensory perceptions during prolonged exercise. J. Int. Soc. Sports Nutr. 2020;17:63. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-00384-3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed