Disclaimer: The findings discussed are lab based and further studies need to be done.

There is a new way to identify if your food contains fake maple syrup! 

There are so many types of sweeteners in the market that have been categorized as unhealthy; for example, corn syrup, and other types of edible syrups. Over the years people are growing a great interest in better and healthier options that can replace these sweeteners. Many have opted for maple syrup, a healthier, delicious, and natural option. 

However, many products in the market are using fake labels stating that the food contains maple syrup, but these statements are not true. Consumers are becoming skeptical of the artificial ingredients added to their food, accompanied by fake labeling. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received a petition from maple syrup producers from North America to identify the artificial maple syrup products in the market. 

In order to determine the authenticity of maple syrup products, scientists have purified maple syrup, and different maple derived products to identify the chemical components that make up authentic maple syrup. During this procedure sakuraresinol, acernikol, and syringaresinol were some of the eighteen different compounds that were identified. With these findings, it will be easier for the FDA to detect the use of artificial products instead of authentic and natural maple syrup.

Reference: Liu, Y.; Ma, H.; Seeram, N.P. Development and UFLC-MS/MS characterization of a product specific standard for phenolic quantification of maple food products. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2016, 64, 3311-3317. https://web.uri.edu/maple/development-and-uflc-ms-ms-characterization-of-a-product-specific-standard-for-phenolic-quantification-of-maple-food-products/