Characterization and Removal of Buddy Off-Flavor in Maple Syrup

Buddy maple syrup is characterized by an unpleasant cabbage-like flavor occurring generally toward the end of the sap harvest season. Occurrence of buddy off-flavor leads to a decrease in syrup value and economic loss for the industry. It is therefore relevant to characterize the off-flavor in order to apply corrective treatments. HS-SPME combined with GC/MS was applied to analyze volatile aroma compounds in buddy maple syrup samples. Two novel volatile sulfur compounds were found in maple syrup: dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and dimethyl trisulfide. A 3-alternative forced choice in ascending concentration of different buddy syrups diluted in good quality syrup was conducted in triplicate to assess buddy syrup concentration thresholds leading to detection and recognition of the off-flavor by 16 panelists while monitoring volatile aroma compounds in diluted samples. Results showed that DMDS was associated with the flavor defect. The recognition threshold concentration of buddy syrup varies depending on the syrup sample and the off-flavor can be detected in syrups containing very low DMDS content. Application of a continuous heat treatment on buddy syrups for 2 hr at 104.5 °C led to a removal of the buddy off-flavor as well as a significant reduction in DMDS content. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results of this study provide a better understanding of the buddy off-flavor in maple syrup and the heat treatment applied allowed us to eliminate this defect and obtain a syrup with a better sensory quality.