How Do You Remove Mold From Maple Syrup? What You Need To Know

Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary about your maple syrup that has been sitting out in the open? The molds are to blame!

So, what is the best way to get rid of mold from maple syrup? Not to worry, this article will teach you how to do it in record time.

Tips for preventing molds from forming on your maple jam will also be provided. When it comes to spotting emerging molds on your maple syrup, we’ll go through the basics with you first.

What Does Mold On Maple Syrup Look Like?

Maple syrup that has been infected by mold is likely to have brownish and powdery looking flecks on its surface. Cocoa or cinnamon powder may look like the colony of spots.

They can sometimes pass for cream, appearing as a golden to brown layer on top of the jam. It’s likely that the dry maple syrup environment is to blame for the appearance of these “guests” on your breakfast waffles or pancakes.

Molds that prefer arid conditions do occur in the actual world. In foods with low water activity, such as your sugar-crammed maple sauce, these fungi thrive.

Water activity, temperature, oxygen, and nutrient levels all contribute to the formation of mold in maple syrup. Dormant mold spores also begin to sprout when all of these factors come into play.

Is Molded Maple Sauce Dangerous?

An unappetizing-looking mold-infested maple syrup jam is harmless, much like a mold-infested applesauce. If you’ve never seen mold on applesauce before, here are some simple steps you can do to avoid it in the future.

A lot of people think that moldy maple syrup can be saved. The mould may have developed a large amount of mycotoxins, which can be dangerous to your health if you eat them.

The answer is based on how much moldy maple syrup you’ve ingested and how long the molds have been sitting in your maple sauce. You may remove molds from maple syrup and eat it with your breakfast and snacks again, though.

4 Steps To Remove Mold From Maple Syrup

Using this approach, you can prevent mold growth in your maple syrup and keep your beloved jam.

Step #1. Skim off layer of mold

Get rid of the mold that’s been sitting on top of the syrup. When removing the mold, you can use a spoon or a little knife.

Step #2. Boil maple syrup

Bring the maple syrup that has been skimmed off to a boil. Boil it down to the point where it forms a boil.

Mold spores will be eliminated from the maple jam by following this procedure. Let the syrup cool for a while after boiling it down.

Step #3. Re-skim and re-boil maple jam

The maple syrup’s mold residue can be removed by skimming it again and again. Reheating and re-bringing it to a boil are equivalent procedures.

Step #4. Sterilize jars and refill maple cream

Now that the maple syrup has been properly handled, it’s time to turn your focus to the storage container. Boiling the bottles at an appropriate temperature can sterilize them.

Then, let them to cool off before drying them. Before adding more maple syrup, make sure the jar is totally dry and free of debris.

When the glass jar is sterilized, it will keep bacteria and mold out of the sauce.

What Can I Do To Limit Mold Growth In Maple Syrup?

Even in maple syrup, which has a very high sugar concentration, mold growth is unavoidable. There are some foods that are more susceptible to mold growth than others.

There is a lot of information on food molds and prevention in this guide regarding which foods will mold the fastest.

The most effective way to combat mold growth is to keep your home as dry as possible. Make sure that you follow safety precautions when you prepare, buy, or store maple cream in order to do this.

The following are some helpful mold-remedy strategies that you can incorporate into your thoughts.

1. Before adding the syrup, make sure the containers are clean, dry, and sanitized.
2. Keep all opened jars of maple syrup in the refrigerator. Unopened maple syrup, on the other hand, can be safely stored in the pantry.
3. To prevent oxygen from entering the container, make sure the lid is properly sealed.
4. Seal the container before the syrup cools by using a hot pack or pouring it directly into the container. Manufacturers of maple syrup are most likely to use this procedure.
5. To keep your maple syrup fresh, don’t store it in permeable plastic containers that allow oxygen to get in. Immediately refrigerate if you’ve purchased one.
6. The easiest approach to increase the shelf life of your maple syrup is to freeze it.

You’ve Been Storing Maple Syrup Wrong Your Entire Life

Everyone should keep maple syrup in their cupboard at all times, whether they use it to glaze bacon, drizzle it over pancakes at IHOP, or use it as a sugar substitute. It might also be the freezer. You’ve been storing maple syrup the wrong way your entire life.

There are many super-sweet items that may be kept at room temperature in an airtight container without the risk of mold or bacteria forming, such as plain white sugar and honey (via Smithsonian). However, this is not the case with maple syrup, and it appears that you may have been storing it incorrectly all this time. A huge mistake that could lead to mold growth.

Why does maple syrup go bad?

Who is the culprit here? Water. Maple syrup has a higher water content than sugar or honey, which makes it more prone to mold growth. While its sugar content makes it less likely to grow mold than other wet foods, there are still a few types of mold and fungi that can thrive in it (via Cornell Mushroom Blog).

Open maple syrup bottles should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for up to a year, or forever, to prevent the growth of mold. For up to a year, unopened bottles can be stored in the pantry.

Fortunately, the mold found in maple syrup (through Epler’s Maple Syrup) is non-toxic. As a result, it’s not necessary to toss a high-priced bottle of the thing if it goes bad.

Instead, remove the mold from the maple syrup’s surface, then bring it to a boil over high heat. Allow the syrup to cool, then remove the floaties and transfer it to a new container. It’s fine to eat your maple syrup again! Keeping your maple syrup in the refrigerator can keep it mold-free.

How to Store Maple Syrup

After opening a bottle of maple syrup, store it in the refrigerator or freezer. Keep maple syrup in glass containers to preserve its color and flavor, even if you don’t intend to use it right away. It will darken with time if stored in plastic because of oxygen infiltrating the plastic. Click here to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of glass vs. plastic.

Keep your plastic containers of maple syrup in a cool, dry place to retain their color and flavor. Repackaging your maple syrup into glass bottles may be worth the effort, however. Find out how to do this in the section below.

Maple syrup has a high sugar content, which makes it resistant to spoilage. If it is correctly stored, it will last a lifetime. However, issues may arise. It’s possible to detect a layer of mold or crystals in the bottom of the bottle. Both of these problems can be remedied by following the steps outlined in the following paragraphs.

Maple Syrup Crystals

Maple syrup crystals are developing if the sugar content of the syrup is too high and the syrup container looks like Superman’s Crystal Cave. Don’t be alarmed by the crystals. Getting them out of the container is the most difficult part. That’s where hot water comes in.

The crystallization problem can be resolved by re-boiling the maple syrup and adding extra water to get the sugar concentration back to the correct range. However, if you want to give it a whirl, check out the part on changing the sugar content below.

Moldy Maple Syrup

If left out of the refrigerator for an extended period of time, maple syrup can get moldy. The high sugar concentration of maple syrup means that mold grows only on the syrup’s surface, not inside the syrup itself. So, instead of throwing it out, consider saving the maple syrup!

It has been tradition in Vermont for decades to remove the mold from maple syrup before boiling it and then pouring it over their pancakes. Is that all right with you? Probably. The five-second rule, on the other hand, is perhaps not the best advice. The syrup can be reheated to eliminate any mold or germs that may be lurking in it if you’re concerned. Reheating the syrup may not eradicate some types of mold, according to the most recent food safety recommendations. They advise discarding any syrup that has turned rotten.

I don’t know if I’m old-fashioned, but I’m sticking with the old-fashioned skim and boil method. If you need to adjust the sugar content, see the instructions below.

Re-Heating Maple Syrup

Between 180 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for heating finished maple syrup in the sugarhouse. The bottles are then filled to the brim, sealed with an airtight cover, and placed on their sides to destroy any bacteria that may have gotten stuck on the lids during the filling process.

Mold and germs will be killed and your syrup will be safe to eat after being reheated to 180°F. The maple syrup’s sugar content will rise somewhat as part of the water evaporates, but this is unlikely to be a problem for the vast majority of people. It’s possible that the syrup is a tad sweeter and thicker than usual. If it becomes too sweet, crystals may form. That would be a problem. If you’re concerned about the sugar content of your syrup, see the section below for instructions on how to check and alter it.

When heating maple syrup, keep an eye on it at all times. As soon as you take your eyes off the pot, it will burst into flames. Your burner will be covered in maple syrup bubbles if you don’t pay attention. Be prepared with butter or a cooking oil. The oil’s surface tension-breaking properties cause it to quickly deflate the bubbles. With just a few strokes of a fork, you’ll have more than enough butter. It’s literally the size of a 1/100th of a teaspoon. Quite remarkable, in a word!

How to Adjust the Sugar Content of Maple Syrup

Maple syrup should be boiled until the sugar level reaches 66.9% if it is to be bottled in a Vermont sugarhouse. The minimum sugar content is 66.0 percent in Canada and some US states. Because Vermont maple syrup has 0.9 percent sugar, it tastes a little better than most other maple syrups!

To avoid crystals and mold, your sugar content should be 66.9%: too high and you risk crystals, while too low and you risk mold.

You’ll need a candy thermometer unless you have a syrup hydrometer in your kitchen utensil drawer. It’s not a good idea to put a digital probe meat thermometer in a kettle of boiling maple syrup since it won’t be able to work properly.

Start with a simple pot of water and bring it to a boil. Check the temperature after allowing it to come to a rolling boil for a few minutes. The boiling point of water is around 212°F, but this might vary depending on the barometric pressure. The set point of thermometers in the sugarhouse can be adjusted daily. Just take note of the temperature of the boiling water for your requirements..

This is where you will need to select a strong pot with high sides and a tiny enough amount of maple syrup in the bottom. Remember the warning about boiling over, and keep some butter on hand in case the bubbles begin to rise to the surface. And keep a watch on the syrup as it boils!

The syrup must boil at 7.5°F above the boiling point of water in order to contain the requisite 66.9 percent sugar content. Maple syrup with 66.0 percent sugar content can be made by going 7.1°F over the boiling point of water. Temperatures between 7 and 8 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for this purpose. It boils at 220 degrees Fahrenheit if the water is boiled at 212.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep stirring as you heat the maple syrup to ensure that the heat is evenly distributed.

Keep heating your maple syrup until it reaches the desired temperature, even if it has reached a rolling boil. In order to increase the sugar content, you’ll need to evaporate away some of the water. Toward the end of the process, you’ll notice a noticeable shift in the bubbles’ shape. As the sugar content rises, the surface bubbles will expand even further. As the little bubbles rise to the surface, they will merge into larger bubbles, some as large as an inch or two across. If you’ve ever driven in a snowfall at night, you know how distracting it can be.

If the temperature of your maple syrup is higher than you want it to be, you’ll need to add a little water to bring the sugar concentration down. Start with a small amount, like a tablespoon. Check the temperature after adding the water and stirring it for a few minutes. Until you reach the desired boiling point, keep adding water to the pot. If you accidentally exceed the boiling point, simply wait for the water to evaporate and the temperature will rise once more.

It’s time to turn off the machine and cover it to prevent any more water from evaporating, if you’re satisfied with the sugar amount. Refrigeration or freezing are two choices; canning hot liquids is a third, and the latter is the most common method. Mason jars made of glass with brand-new lids work great here. After putting on the lid and tiling it on its side for a minute to get rid of any bacteria that may be on the lid, fill the jar with 180-200°F syrup.

You can now keep your maple syrup in the fridge for as long as you like. Enjoy!

FAQs

How do you get rid of mold on maple syrup?

The mold is safe to use. Your moldy Maple Syrup won’t be a waste any longer. Put your Maple Syrup in a saucepan and skim off the mold. Allow it to cool, then bring it back to a boil and skim out any remaining floaties or mold.

Will mold on maple syrup hurt you?

University of Vermont extension service claims that the mold doesn’t represent a health risk and that it’s OK to use after being removed from the syrup by skimming. Cornell University has a wealth of information on the fungus.

Can moldy maple syrup be saved?

So, instead of throwing it out, consider saving the maple syrup! It has been tradition in Vermont for decades to remove the mold from maple syrup before boiling it and then pouring it over their pancakes.

Why has my maple syrup gone Mouldy?

Maple syrup spoils for several reasons. Who is the culprit here? Water. Maple syrup, in contrast to sugar and honey, contains a somewhat higher water content, making it more prone to mold growth.

What’s floating in my maple syrup?

A mold that some studies have found to be non-toxic may be floating around in your maple syrup. If you remove the mold, boil the syrup, and store it in a clean container, according to the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association, you’ll be good to go.

Can you get botulism from maple syrup?

Anyone can get foodborne botulism, which is why it’s so dangerous. C. botulinum spores are unable to thrive in maple syrup because of the syrup’s high sugar content and concentration (few water).

What kind of mold grows on maple syrup?

A fungus known as Eurotium herbariorum was the most frequently found in the maple syrup samples, followed by Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus penicillioides, Aspergillus restrictus, Aspergillus versicolor, and two species of Wallemia.

Should maple syrup be refrigerated?

YES. Maple syrup should be refrigerated after the jar is opened. If the product is left out in the open and exposed to the air, mold growth is possible. The evaporation of the product, which is frequently followed by crystallization, is reduced by cooling.

How do you store homemade maple syrup?

Once opened, your syrup should be kept in the refrigerator for up to one year after being stored in a cold, dark place for up to two years. Make syrup with your family and preserve it carefully so that everyone can enjoy it on pancakes.

Conclusion

Having learned how to remove mold from maple syrup, slap yourself on the back since you can now keep it out of the garbage disposal. Additionally, you gained the knowledge necessary to safeguard yourself and your family from the potential dangers of ingesting mold.