Quebec is a leader in maple syrup production and its “liquid gold” is world-renowned for its quality. To maintain this high standard, the  Quebec Maple Syrup Producers asked scientists at Université de Montréal to develop a portable test to predict the quality of the syrup based on the harvested sap.

Called the “COLORI test, ” the method developed by UdeM’s chemists and mathematicians has been scientifically validated – the results were published Tuesday in the journal ACS Food Science & Technology – and was awarded the Prix Innovation 2022 | RSRI last November by the Association pour le développement de la recherche et de l’innovation du Québec.

“Thanks to the support of the Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec, we were able to develop the COLORI test, patent it and produce the first 250 units,” said UdeM chemistry professor and co-lead author of the scientific paper Jean-François Masson. “All the tests have already been taken up by the maple syrup producers who participated in our project.”

Fast and Simple Nanotechnology

The new COLORI test belongs to the nanotechnology family, and using it is quick and easy. It starts with a small tube containing a solution of gold nanoparticles, to which a few drops of sap are added. The amino acids and the amines, which correlate with specific changes in the flavour of maple syrup, bind to the gold nanoparticles, causing them to group together and change the way light interacts with the solution. As a result, the solution changes colour from red to blue – a change that can be observed with the naked eye within minutes.

The main advantage of this test is that it can be used right in the sugar bush, where the results can be immediately interpreted and acted upon. This highly sensitive and therefore highly effective method provides reliable information about the properties of maple sap in real time to support the production of high-quality maple syrup.

“At CRIBIQ, we encourage partnerships between companies and the public research community to create innovative solutions that meet specific needs and are commercially viable,” said the CRIBIQ’s president and CEO, Mohammed Benyagoub. “The innovative COLORI test project aligns with our mission to strengthen industry-university relationships and collaborative research by helping Quebec’s maple syrup industry to ensure optimal purity of the syrup it brings to market.”

From Detection to Prediction

The COLORI test for identifying undesirable compounds in maple products is based on an earlier method developed in Masson’s lab in 2018 in collaboration with Simon Forest, then Masson’s research officer and now project manager for development and applied research at the producers’ association. The first version of the test correlated the intensity of natural aromatic profiles of maple syrup (such as flavour profiles associated with sap and bud characteristics) to the result of the test.

“The COLORI test, which is now in its second version, has become predictive: it works with the maple sap and can determine if the compounds present in the sap harvested by the producer will yield high-quality maple syrup,” explained Forest, who also holds a master’s degree in chemistry from UdeM. “The test has proved useful as a decision-support tool: for example, to decide whether or not to boil sap that will not produce the desired quality of syrup.”

To move from the first-generation COLORI test to the predictive COLORI test, which provides information on the organoleptic profile of the sap, the two chemists asked the QMSP to co-develop the new version of the test using a participatory science approach. This new COLORI test, which requires minimal infrastructure at the sugar shacks, was made possible by the involvement of several maple syrup producers, who participated in three phases of field tests.

Masson and Forest also called on Morgan Craig, an UdeM mathematics professor, to build a mathematical model that predicts the type of maple syrup that will be produced based on the molecular profile of the sap, including its amino acids. “This model provides a sense of what the final product will be like, and allows maple syrup producers to better manage production,” Masson explained.

SEE THE TEST COLORI’S PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

Soon to Be Widely Available

Maple syrup production is one of the main drivers of Quebec’s biofood sector. The maple syrup industry contributed $1 billion to Quebec’s gross domestic product in 2022. With 13,300 maple syrup producers and a total production of 95 million kilograms in 2022, the province is the world’s leading producer of maple syrup, accounting for nearly three quarters of global production.

To establish its market value, Quebec maple syrup is rigorously tasted, inspected, checked and classified according to criteria set out in the Convention de mise en marché du sirop d’érable, a marketing agreement developed by the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers. Large-scale deployment of the COLORI test would allow maple syrup producers to evaluate and classify maple sap at little cost before turning it into maple syrup, and would help them manage their production throughout the season.

“Quality is a top priority for Quebec’s maple syrup producers,” said Luc Goulet, president of the producers’ association. “The COLORI test, which will be widely available as of 2024, offers our industry a unique tool to fine-tune its processes and maintain the reputation of Quebec’s maple syrup.”

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About This Study

The study titled “Prediction of maple syrup quality from maple sap with a plasmonic tongue and ordinal mixed-effects modelling” by Simon Forest et al. was published on March 21^st, 2023 in the journal ACS Food Science & Technology.

The study was funded by the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec.

About Université de Montréal

Deeply rooted in Montreal and dedicated to its international mission, Université de Montréal (UdeM) ranks among the top universities in the world at 73^rd in the Times Higher Education rankings. Founded in 1878, UdeM and its two affiliated schools, HEC Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal, constitute the largest centre of higher education and research in Quebec and one of the most important in North America. They have more than 2,300 professors and researchers, and nearly 70,000 students. umontreal.ca

About Quebec Maple Syrup Producers

The Quebec Maple Syrup Producers association represents the interests of 13,300 maple producers and 8,000 maple enterprises. Quebec accounts for 72 per cent of global maple syrup production and exports to more than 70 countries. https://ppaq.ca/en/

About the Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec

The Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec is one of nine sector-based industrial research clusters created and financed by the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy of Quebec. Its mission is to promote and support the realization of innovative industrial projects in the industrial sectors of the bioeconomy, based on the transformation and exploitation of agricultural, marine, forest and waste bioresources. http://www.cribiq.qc.ca/en/

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Media contacts:

Jeff Heinrich

International Press Attaché

Université de Montréal

514-343-7593 | [email protected]

 

Maggie Perron

Communications Coordinator

Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec

418-914-1608 extension 204 | [email protected]

 

Joël Vaudeville

Director, Corporate Communications
Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP)

514-603-0728 | [email protected]