Project Grant 23ACERNY1027

MAPLE SYRUP IS SEEN AS A PREMIUM PRODUCT, ONE WHERE PURCHASE DEPENDS PRIMARILY ON SENSORY FACTORS, MAKING FLAVOR CRUCIAL FOR MARKET SUCCESS. MAPLE SYRUP IS HOWEVER A PRODUCT WITH A GREAT AND CULTURALLY IMPORTANT SET OF PRACTICES FOR ITS MANUFACTURE, MAKING IT A PRODUCT WHERE INNOVATION, OR CHANGES IN BEST PRACTICES ARE UNDERSTANDABLY SLOW TO EMERGE. IN THIS PROJECT WE PROPOSE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERAL LINE EXTENSIONS TO MAPLE SYRUP, SUCH AS BARREL AGING OR FLAVOR INFUSION, THAT WILL OPEN UP NEW MARKETS TO MAPLE PRODUCERS PARTICULARLY FOR LOWER VALUE LATE-SEASON SYRUP. FURTHER, WE PROPOSE THE EXPLORATION OF BEST PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF MAPLE SYRUP, WHERE IN PRELIMINARY TESTING WE FIND BOTH LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE CAN ALTER THE COLOR OF MAPLE SYRUP IN A MANNER COMMON IN MANY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS CONTAINING LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR EASILY DEGRADABLE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, WHICH IN THESE FOOD SYSTEMS ALSO LEADS TO FLAVOR CHANGES. WITH THESE EXPERIMENTS WE WILL UNCOVER NEW MARKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH IN THE MAPLE INDUSTRY, AND ENSURE THAT EXISTING SYRUP GETS TO CONSUMERS IN A CONSISTENT AND OPTIMAL MANNER.BENEFITS TO BE ACHIEVED: MAPLE SYRUP BUSINESSES WILL INCREASE PROFITS BY BETTER PRESERVING THEIR PRODUCTS FLAVOR AND APPEARANCE, ENSURING A PRODUCT OF OPTIMAL QUALITY REACHES THE MARKET. ADDITIONALLY, NEW FLAVOR COMBINATIONS FOR MAPLE CAN OPEN NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR SALES, AND MAY ALLOW FOR HIGHER PROFITS TO BE MADE FROM LATE SEASON SYRUP. IN A 2019 SURVEY OF OVER 350 MAPLE PRODUCERS IN THE US AND CANADA (LEGAULT ET AL, 2019), THE MOST POPULAR STRATEGY AMONG MAPLE PRODUCERS TO INCREASE PROFITS WAS TO KEEP TRACK OF NEW RESEARCH EVOLVING IN MAPLE. OUR TEAM INTEGRATES BOTH RESEARCH AND EXTENSION WITH OUTREACH THROUGHOUT MAPLE PRODUCING REGIONS TO BENEFIT THE ENTIRE MAPLE INDUSTRY.DISSEMINATION OF PROJECT RESULTSTHE CORNELL MAPLE PROGRAM WILL DISSEMINATE RESULTS THROUGH SWEET TALK: ALL THINGS MAPLE PODCAST, AVAILABLE ON APPLE PODCASTS AND SPOTIFY, EXTENSION ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON CORNELLMAPLE.COM, MAPLERESEARCH.ORG, AND CORNELL UNIVERSITYS ECOMMONS, AND THROUGH MAPLE WORKSHOPS PROVIDED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AS OUTLINED IN OUR PARTNERSHIP LETTERS ACROSS THE MAPLE PRODUCING REGION WE WILL COLLABORATE WITH OUR EXTENSION PARTNERS AND MAPLE ASSOCIATIONS IN STATES ACROSS THE MAPLE REGION TO PROVIDE AN INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF ONLINE PRESENTATIONS, WEBINARS, AND IN-PERSON CONFERENCES FOR MAPLE PRODUCERS ACROSS THE ENTIRE MAPLE REGION. THIS APPROACH WILL PROVIDE INSTRUCTION TO A BROADER AUDIENCE IN ALL MAPLE PRODUCING REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES WHO HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO MAPLE EXPERTS AND EDUCATORS.