Yes, Your Maple Syrup Can Go Bad, Here’s How to Check (2024)

FAQs

Yes, Your Maple Syrup Can Go Bad, Here’s How to Check? ›

The best way to check on your maple syrup is to smell it or take a small taste. If it smells good and tastes good, it is good! If there is mold on the surface or in the container, you can scrape it off or strain the syrup through a cheese cloth to remove all of the mold pieces.

So does syrup ever go bad? The short answer is technically no, syrup does not expire and you can keep an unopened container of the stuff on your shelf indefinitely. That's due to the high sugar content of pure maple syrup, according to the experts at Ben's Sugar Shack, which produces syrup in New Hampshire.

Once open, if you keep the product refrigerated, it will last several months. If a thin layer of mold develops on an opened container of syrup, it can safely be removed and the syrup re-sterilized by bringing it briefly to 190° (a brief, light boil) and then rebottling it.

Maple syrup unopened will last indefinitely. All of our syrup is heat packed and sealed so until it is cracked open it will have an indefinite shelf life. Once the jug is opened it should be kept in the refrigerator and should last up to 2 years.

The best way to check on your maple syrup is to smell it or take a small taste. If it smells good and tastes good, it is good! If there is mold on the surface or in the container, you can scrape it off or strain the syrup through a cheese cloth to remove all of the mold pieces.

This is the result of sugar sand (also called niter) and every sugarmaker has dealt with it in their syrup-making career. While it's not very appetizing and can sometimes affect taste, sugar sand is not a sign of spoilage or bad syrup.

According to the USDA, unopened maple syrup can be safely stored in the pantry for a year, but it will likely last for longer. After opening, move the bottle to the fridge to discourage mold growth. It will keep well for a year.

Maple syrup can be stored in the freezer indefinitely. Fun fact: Maple syrup freezes in a slushy consistency because of the sugars in it.

If a container of unrefrigerated maple syrup is not checked often, enough mold may grow in the syrup, to ruin the flavor of the syrup. As explained in the last question, this mold is easily removed and not harmful. But why look for trouble? It's best to just keep maple syrup in the refrigerator or other cool place.

Keep sap cool and filter before boiling to remove debris. Discard yellow or cloudy sap – do not mix it with good, clear sap. Watch for early bud break of red maple. This will cause buddy sap and produce an off-flavor in the syrup.

How do you test for maple syrup disease? ›

In the U.S., doctors do a blood test to check babies for MSUD as part of newborn screening. Children with milder forms of MSUD may not be diagnosed until they are older and start to show symptoms. If doctors suspect MSUD, they will check the amino acid levels in the blood and other acids in the urine.

If you boil buddy sap, it will produce a pungent unforgettable smell. Sour Sap thickens to the point where it cannot be evaporated and will be difficult to draw off the evaporator. In extreme cases, you can pour a stream out and it will suspend in midair. This is referred to as “ropey syrup”.

Does maple syrup really get better with age? Absolutely. Allowing maple syrup to age in bourbon barrels lets the flavors of scotch, cognac, or bourbon that was housed in the wooden barrels before seep into the syrup, as well letting other flavors in to create a well-rounded profile.

Children with intermediate MSUD also display the characteristic odor of maple syrup in their sweat, urine and earwax. Children with Intermittent MSUD typically have normal growth and intellectual development, and most can eat normal levels of protein in their diet.

When should I call my doctor about maple syrup urine disease (MSUD)? If your baby or child shows signs of MSUD, you should seek immediate medical care. Though it's very rare for older children and adults to develop the disease, you should contact your provider any time you detect a maple syrup smell in urine or sweat.

The ropy syrup problem

When bacteria contaminate the syrup, however, the syrup can instead have a stringy, ropy texture. Ropy syrup is inedible and must be discarded.