Maple Syrup
Pure maple syrup is a 100 percent natural food, processed by heat concentration of pure maple sap. This sap is a sterile, clear liquid, which provides the trees with water and nutrients prior to the buds and leaves opening in the spring. In the boiling, concentrating, and filtering processes, all the nutrients remain in the syrup.
Historical Tidbit: Mohawk Indians and other Northeastern tribes used maple bark to prepare a blood purifier, eye medicine, and cough medicine, in addition to boiling it as a sweetener.
Sugars: Sugars are an important source of energy. The main sugar in pure Maple syrup is sucrose. The darker grades, especially Grade B syrup, contain small and variable amounts of fructose and glucose. In order of sweetness, sucrose is less sweet than fructose, and sweeter than glucose.
Minerals: Minerals have specific and nonspecific nutritional functions in the body's metabolism. In pure filtered maple syrup the main minerals present are: calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron.
Vitamins: Vitamins are essential to maintain health; they cannot be manufactured by the body (except Vitamin D) so they must be acquired through food or taken separately. In pure maple syrup trace amounts of vitamins are present, mainly B2 (Riboflavin), B5 (Pantothenic Acid), B6 (Pyridoxine), PP (Niacin, B1), Biotin, and Folic Acid.
Amino Acids:: Amino Acids are the building blocks of the proteins. In pure maple syrup many amino acids are present in trace amounts.