Sugars & Sweeteners
Maple Syrup in gelato
Maple syrup is a natural sweetener made by concentrating the sap of sugar-maple trees to roughly 66-68% sugar and 33% water. Almost all of that sugar is sucrose, so in gelato it behaves much like table sugar for sweetening power (POD) and freezing-point depression (PAC), while carrying its own distinctive flavor and color.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 67% |
| Water | 33% |
| Sugars | 66% |
| Fat | 0.1% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0.1% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 66 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 67 |
Typical use: 5-15% of the mix, used as a flavor sweetener replacing part of the sucrose
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Because about 99% of its sugar is sucrose (with only ~1% invert sugar), maple syrup contributes POD and PAC almost identically to sucrose on a sugar-solids basis. Per 100 g it adds roughly 66 g sugar plus 33 g water, so it raises sweetness and freezing-point depression in proportion to its sugar content while thinning the mix, meaning you should rebalance water and other solids when adding it. Use it as a flavor-carrying sweetener that replaces part of the sucrose, not as a texture tool: unlike dextrose or invert sugar it will not noticeably soften scooping hardness. Darker grades bring stronger maple flavor with marginally more invert sugar.
Origin & background
Maple syrup is one of the few agricultural products native to North America, produced by Indigenous peoples of the northeast before European settlement. It was a dominant U.S. sweetener until after the Civil War, when improved production and transport made cane sugar cheaper (Ball, Journal of Chemical Education, 2007). Today most of the world's supply comes from eastern Canada, especially Quebec.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Ball, D.W. (2007). The Chemical Composition of Maple Syrup. Journal of Chemical Education 84(10):1647-1650 (Cleveland State University). PDF: https://mapleresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/chemcompball.pdf — sucrose is the dominant sugar; glucose <1% of organic content; finished syrup ~66-68% solids.
- van den Berg A., Perkins T., Isselhardt M. (2006). Sugar Profiles of Maple Syrup Grades. UVM Proctor Maple Research Center, Maple Syrup Digest. https://mapleresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/1206sugarprofilessyrupgrades.pdf — HPLC of 55 samples: total sugars 66.3-67.9%, sucrose ~65-67%, total invert (glucose+fructose) 0.9-1.2%.
- USDA FoodData Central — Syrups, maple (per 100 g: water ~32.4 g; carbohydrate 67.04 g; total sugars ~60.5 g; protein 0.04 g; total fat 0.06 g). https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/ ; USDA Grade A standard requires 66-68.9% solids.
- NNY Agricultural Development Program / Cornell Maple Program — 'Chemistry of Maple Syrup' fact sheet CMB-202. https://www.nnyagdev.org/maplefactsheets/CMB%20202%20Chemistry%20of%20Maple%20Syrup1.pdf — finished syrup ~66-67% sucrose and ~33-34% water; 98%+ of dissolved solids are sugar.