Originally published January 26 2012
Amazing Food Facts: Real maple syrup is just the boiled sap of a maple tree
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
(NaturalNews) To be sold under the name "maple syrup" in the United States, a product must contain nothing but the concentrated sap of the maple tree, with the exception of certain minor approved additives such as salt. Products labeled as Vermont Maple Syrup may have no additives at all.
Maple syrup production begins by drilling one to three holes into the trunks of maple trees during the early spring, when the sap begins to rise. A metal or plastic spout is then inserted into each hole, so that the sugary sap can be gathered into a bucket or plastic tubing, depending on the collection method.
Because the sap is only 2 percent sucrose by weight, it is then boiled, evaporated or concentrated to increase the sugar concentration to 66.9 percent. Mineral solids are then filtered out, but not the natural mineral enzymes that give maple syrup its distinctive flavor.
Recent research indicates maple syrup may have powerful medicinal benefits. As we reported here on NaturalNews last year:
"Navindra Seeram and her colleagues from the University of Rhode Island discovered that maple syrup contains 20 unique health-promoting compounds, 13 of which have never before been identified in maple syrup. And according to a release from United Press International, five of the compounds identified have never been previously identified in nature at all." (http://www.naturalnews.com/031957_maple_syru...)
These compounds are believed to help prevent both diabetes and cancer. More research may shed additional light on the true benefits of these unique compounds.
Source: 25 Amazing (and Weird) Facts about How Food is Made and Where it Comes From, authored by Mike Adams and David Guiterrez. This report reveals shocking but true things that will blow your mind about how food is actually made. Click here to download the full report (FREE) (PDF Adobe Acrobat, non-DRM), and you'll learn about weird food ingredients, food manufacturing processes and bizarre food sources. FREE report from NaturalNews.com.
Additional sources:
http://vermontmaple.org/make-maple-syrup.php
http://vermontmaple.org/maple-faq.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup
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