These studies have found that it not only has valuable minerals and vitamins, but it also has antioxidants that are beneficial to health and wellness. No matter if it is light and delicate or dark and robust, 100% pure maple syrup is the healthy all-natural choice.
Yes, pure maple syrup is not only high in antioxidants, but every spoonful offers nutrients like riboflavin, zinc, magnesium, calcium and potassium. According to Helen Thomas of the New York State Maple Association, maple syrup has a higher concentration of minerals and antioxidants, yet fewer calories than honey.
In actuality, grade B is equal in quality to grade A. Yet the naming didn't convey that message. To avoid confusion, the industry reclassified all maple syrups as grade A. They are all grade A, but each has a different color and taste profile.
Grades of Maple Syrup
Grading of Wheelers pure maple syrup is based on colour and flavour. The lighter the colour, the milder and more delicate the flavour. The darker the colour, the richer and stronger the flavour. People tend to choice their grade of syrup based on how it will be used.
If you're looking for the healthiest syrup, you have a few options: Pure maple syrup is a natural form of sugar, as opposed to the corn syrup found in most pancake syrups. Maple syrup is delicious, and it also has health benefits: It contains antioxidants as well as minerals like magnesium and zinc.
Honey is slightly higher in calories, carbohydrates, and sugar than maple syrup, but a little lower in fat. Maple syrup has more micronutrients, such as calcium and manganese, but it also has more sodium than honey.
Grade A: Very Dark & Strong Flavor
This grade is by far the most robust and maple-packed of all the grades.
You may also know that the syrup color changes as the sugaring season progresses: Lighter syrup is usually made when the sap first begins to flow; darker syrup shows up later. Darker syrup has a stronger flavor than the lighter syrup, but the quality and sugar content is the same.
Despite the variation on the outside, the syrup inside can only be one of four grades—Golden, Amber, Dark or Very Dark. Maple grades are made of two components, color and flavor, and the flavor corresponds with the color. The darker the syrup, the stronger the maple flavor.
Dark - robust flavor and dark amber color
If you want your pure maple syrup to have a strong taste, we highly recommend choosing this grade. One interesting thing about maple syrup is that the darker the color, the more intense the taste.
Unopened maple syrup of any kind can be stored in a cool, dark place until you're ready to use it, ideally within two years. But once opened, pure maple syrup should be stored in the refrigerator.
The study looked at how the molecule in maple syrup, quebecol, affected known substances in the human body that relate to inflammation. The experiments showed that quebecol was effective in preventing many of these substances from causing inflammation, further concluding that it is a great anti-inflammatory agent.
Maple syrup is a sugar with no fiber attached to it which means eating too much of it will cause swings in your blood sugar and insulin. This could lead to hunger, potential weight gain and other adverse health effects.
The first tip is the most obvious: check the ingredients to confirm that it's made of 100% pure maple syrup, not maple “flavor” or high-fructose corn syrup. Sometimes there might be a mix, but if you really want to experience the good stuff, it's got to be all syrup and nothing else.
The daily limit, according to the Food and Drug Administration, is no more than 10 percent of your daily calories, or 50 grams (about 12 teaspoons) for someone on a 2,000-calorie diet. The American Heart Association recommends consuming even less—no more than 25 grams for women per day and 36 grams for men.
The maple syrup grading system changed in 2015 to simplify and standardize the terminology. Just like the old system, the new system is based on flavor and color. What was formerly called Grade B maple syrup is now known as Grade A Dark Color, Robust Flavor.
Grade A is said to be the most preferred grade by consumers because of its light maple flavor and reminiscence of synthetic maple syrups, aka corn syrup based impostors. Grade B is produced later in the season and has a darker, grittier color, thicker viscosity, more robust maple flavor and more minerals.
Grade B is often recommended for baking because its stronger flavor comes through more readily, but it can be a better choice for pancakes or waffles than Grade A if you, like me, are a fan of the flavor of maple in general. The two are interchangeable as far as what will work in a recipe that calls for maple syrup.
Maple syrup must meet United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards. All USDA Grade A maple syrup must be 100% pure with no additives. It must have a minimum density of 66 brix, equal to 66% sugar. Individual state requirements may vary.
The darker ones also contain more phenols, which are molecules generally found in maple syrup. They act as “antioxidants, anti-tumor and anti-cancer agents”. The lesson to learn is that the darker the syrup, the more it contains stuff that is good for you and thus, the healthier it is.
The syrup's consistency is another giveaway, and one that can help when you're examining the mystery contents of a diner's syrup jug: true maple syrup is quite runny and pours easily, while pancake syrup is thick and sticky. Other than its flavor, there are other reasons to choose true maple syrup over imitation.
Both offer benefits in the form of either vitamins or minerals, and both offer protective antioxidant activity. Putting taste aside, as the two have different flavors — honey is more floral while maple syrup is more woodsy — maple syrup tends to be the slightly healthier choice, but we enjoy both throughout the year.
Pure maple syrup is made from 100% maple sap, with nothing added. Maple flavoured syrup by contrast is a sugar syrup with added flavourings. While nothing can come close to the rich, caramel flavour of the real deal, maple flavoured syrup does have its place on cheap and cheerful pancakes for feeding a crowd!
AA syrup is made from the earliest sap; approximately 25-30% of syrup production will fall into this grade. This syrup will produce the lightest maple sugar with the most subtle flavor. Bias toward the label of 'AA' means this syrup is often more expensive than the others.