Microwave processing of maple sap to maple syrup and maple syrup products.
A study of the physical process of concentration of maple sap to maple syrup and preparation of maple syrup products by microwave heating is described. Duty cycles of 60, 75 and 100% were used for the microwave application. During the process, some of the drying kinetics are discussed, including the reduction of moisture content with time, the progress of the process in terms of increasing sugar concentration and the power absorbed. Obviously, the rate of water removal was higher in case of the higher duty cycles. The total time required for finishing the syrup was also dependent on the initial mass of the load and the initial sugar content. The products obtained were compared with commercial graded products for the quality and met the highest standards prescribed by the industry. The absence of heat damage or browning of the product was identified as a distinct advantage that could be derived from microwave processing of maple syrup.