What is crust on surface of maple syrup?

[Dwight]

We have stored syrup in a bottle in the frig, and it has a light,
whitish crust.

I say it is crystalized sugar, and we should just warm it up.

My wife worries it may be mold.

Your assistance please?

Many thanks.

Dwight

[Brooklyn1]

On Thu, 10 May 2012 17:37:24 -0700, Dwight <dwigh...@earthlink.net>
wrote:

Very likely mold... maple syrup is not like honey... toss it, not
worth a mold infection.

[George M. Middius]

Dwight wrote:

> We have stored syrup in a bottle in the frig, and it has a light,
> whitish crust.
> I say it is crystalized sugar, and we should just warm it up.
> My wife worries it may be mold.

Sugar, not mold. Ignore any bloviating idiots who say it's mold.

[gtr]

Dig some out, crush it between your fingers. If it's mold it will feel
like mold, if it's sugar crystals it will feel like sugar crystals.

[Julie Bove]

"Dwight" <dwigh...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:_ImdnapGS6jbwjHS...@earthlink.com...

Strange. How long has it been in there? We've never had that happen.

[Dave Smith]

If it is real maple syrup, the crystalized sugar would be light brown
and most likely around the cap. If there is a whitish crust on top of
the syrup it is most likely mold.

[John Kuthe]

There ya go! Assessment! First step in the nursing process!! Next:
diagnosis! What do we have here?

John Kuthe...

[George M. Middius]

John Kuthe wrote:

> There ya go! Assessment! First step in the nursing process!!

Don't say "nursing" when Sheldon might be listening.

[Steve Pope]

It's gotta be just sugar.


Steve

[Ed Pawlowski]

On Thu, 10 May 2012 18:17:27 -0700, gtr <x...@yyy.zzz> wrote:

I usually see some crystallization on the bottom. I've had mold on
the top. While it may be the sugar crystallizing, I'd be very careful
before using it. May taste icky.

I found this though
http://www.eplersmaplesyrup.com/facts/mold.shtml

Maple Syrup Mold:
Occasionally, over time, a mold will appear on the surface of the
syrup.
This mold is a falsur mold and is seen often in maple syrups of all
qualities and colors. It is not toxic to humans just unpleasant to the
eye.

To remove the mold, just follow these instructions to restore your
syrup to
its original state:

a. Skim off the top surface of the syrup where the mold has formed and
dispose of it.

b. Then pour the syrup into a heat resistant container.

c. Heat the syrup to the boiling point.

d. Cool slightly and once again, skim the surface of the syrup.

e. Wash the original container in very hot sudsy water and rinse.

f. Refill the container with the hot syrup. Cool and refrigerate.

Your syrup will once again be restored to its original quality. You
may
repeat this procedure as often as needed. This will allow you to enjoy
your
syrup repeatedly!

[Ed Pawlowski]

On Fri, 11 May 2012 01:55:28 +0000 (UTC), spo...@speedymail.org
(Steve Pope) wrote:



>
>It's gotta be just sugar.
>

Not according to 2 millions hits on Google

[Christopher M.]

"Dwight" <dwigh...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:_ImdnapGS6jbwjHS...@earthlink.com...

Pooh thinks it's sugar.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)
"Give honey a chance."
--John Lemmon

[Jim Elbrecht]

Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:

-snip-

>
>I found this though
>http://www.eplersmaplesyrup.com/facts/mold.shtml
>
>Maple Syrup Mold:

I'll just note 2 things.
1. if it isn't *real* maple syrup might be some other kind of mold.
2. When you re-boil, don't cook it too long or you'll end up with
goo.
3. If you get goo, continue cooking *very carefully* and make maple
sugar. *There's* some sweetness.

Jim

[Bryan]

For Sheldon, the "first step in the nursing process" is finding a
lactating woman who is hard up for cash.

--Bryan

[notbob]

On 2012-05-11, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:

> Very likely mold... maple syrup is not like honey...

Horsepucky! True maple syrup will crystalize jes like honey. I don't
know about the fake stuff sold in most sprmkts, which very well may
mold.

nb

--
vi --the heart of evil!
Pitbull: "a gun you can pet" --Bill Burr

[Steve Freides]

Most food spoils eventually, even if kept in ideal conditions for not
doing so.

Try Googling:

What happens when you eat mold?

It makes interesting reading - sometimes, nothing bad happens, but
sometimes, it can be life-threatening.

-S_

[Gary]

notbob wrote:
>
> On 2012-05-11, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
>
> > Very likely mold... maple syrup is not like honey...
>
> Horsepucky! True maple syrup will crystalize jes like honey. I don't
> know about the fake stuff sold in most sprmkts, which very well may
> mold.
>
> nb

Actually, I had some pure maple syrup once that grew 'mold' on the top. My
fault probably though as it sat in my fridge unused for many years. Someone
told me I could just skim it off but I ended up throwing it out. I don't
take chances with food.

Anyway, not knowing anything about this, I did look it up. Seems that the
fake maple syrup is less prone to mold or fungus because they add chemicals
to prevent it.

The original poster should check out this website and see if the "white
crust" resembles the pictures there. This is from Cornell University so it
should be believable unlike other websites. They show a fungus that can
grow on maple syrup.

http://blog.mycology.cornell.edu/?p=184

Gary

[notbob]

On 2012-05-11, Gary <g.ma...@att.net> wrote:

> Actually, I had some pure maple syrup once that grew 'mold' on the top. My
> fault probably though as it sat in my fridge unused for many years. Someone
> told me I could just skim it off but I ended up throwing it out. I don't
> take chances with food.

I can only go by what I experienced. After I got out of the service,
I spent some time in upstate NY with a couple sidetrips into NH in
late fall. Was given some real maple syrup as a going-away gift from
one of my friends. It crsytalized within a couple yrs, despite being
stored in a cool dark place in a sealed wire bale jar. I jes wasn't
into hotcakes at that time. Later, I saw the light.

Since then, I've learned to make killer hotcakes (buttermilk!) and
never buy anything but real maple surple, which never last long enough
to mold or crystalize. ;)

[Ross@home]

On 11 May 2012 12:49:28 GMT, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:

>On 2012-05-11, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
>
>> Very likely mold... maple syrup is not like honey...
>
>Horsepucky! True maple syrup will crystalize jes like honey. I don't
>know about the fake stuff sold in most sprmkts, which very well may
>mold.
>
>nb

http://www.eplersmaplesyrup.com/facts/mold.shtml

Ross.

[Nancy2]

On May 10, 8:48 pm, George M. Middius <glanb...@gmail.com> wrote:

Next week's Time cover will keep him happy for weeks, or until he
wears it out.

N.

[Nunya Bidnits]

Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:

> I usually see some crystallization on the bottom. I've had mold on
> the top. While it may be the sugar crystallizing, I'd be very careful
> before using it. May taste icky.
>
> I found this though
> http://www.eplersmaplesyrup.com/facts/mold.shtml
>
> Maple Syrup Mold:
> Occasionally, over time, a mold will appear on the surface of the
> syrup.
> This mold is a falsur mold and is seen often in maple syrups of all
> qualities and colors. It is not toxic to humans just unpleasant to the
> eye.
>
> To remove the mold, just follow these instructions to restore your
> syrup to
> its original state:
>
> a. Skim off the top surface of the syrup where the mold has formed and
> dispose of it.

[clip rest of dubious instructions]

I'm always astonished at impossible instructions.

Since maple syrup typically comes in a rather narrow neck bottle to
facilitate pouring, how would they suggest we go about physically skimming
off the top surface? I just looked at the bottle in my cabinet and there's
no way. And if you pour it out, you've just mixed it into the syrup. In that
case, if they are correct about the mold being non-toxic, you could just go
ahead and stir it in well, but that method will squick the majority of
people. OTOH they say it's harmless but ugly, but they say nothing about the
impact on flavor.

MartyB

[Jim Elbrecht]

"Nunya Bidnits" <nunyab...@eternal-september.invalid> wrote:

>Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:

-snip-

>> a. Skim off the top surface of the syrup where the mold has formed and
>> dispose of it.
>
>[clip rest of dubious instructions]
>
>I'm always astonished at impossible instructions.
>
>Since maple syrup typically comes in a rather narrow neck bottle to
>facilitate pouring, how would they suggest we go about physically skimming
>off the top surface?

Really, Marty? My jars come with a hole at the top that I can pour
the syrup out of.

>I just looked at the bottle in my cabinet and there's
>no way. And if you pour it out, you've just mixed it into the syrup. In that
>case, if they are correct about the mold being non-toxic, you could just go
>ahead and stir it in well, but that method will squick the majority of
>people. OTOH they say it's harmless but ugly, but they say nothing about the
>impact on flavor.

No flavor. BTDT-- I've poured it out through a screen & all was
well.

Nobody has mentioned the odd 'mother of vinegar' loooking strings I
got one year. No flavor on them either, but they were pretty
gross looking. Like the surface stuff- a good boil for a few minutes
and they didn't re-appear.

Jim

[dsi1]

Your best bet is to smell the syrup first, then taste. Toss it if tastes
sour. We had some bad maple syrup in the fridge when I was a kid. I
looked fine but tasted awful. This pretty much turned me off to real
maple syrup.

[Dave Smith]

On 11/05/2012 8:49 AM, notbob wrote:
> On 2012-05-11, Brooklyn1<Gravesend1> wrote:
>
>> Very likely mold... maple syrup is not like honey...
>
> Horsepucky! True maple syrup will crystalize jes like honey. I don't
> know about the fake stuff sold in most sprmkts, which very well may
> mold.
>
>

Ditto on the horsepucky. The sugar in maple syrup does crystalize, but
not exactly like honey. Honey crystalzies all the way through. If you
pour the maple syrup and do not wipe off the drippings, it will
crystalize. We sometimes have trouble getting the cap off if we forget
to wipe it off. We have pancakes or waffles every 2-3 weeks and never
use anything but real maple syrup. I get it in 2 litre jugs and we go
through 2-3 of them per year.

[Brooklyn1]

I've had vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry... now I gotta try maple
flavored breast milk.

[Brooklyn1]

I read that web site (and several others) a few years ago too. This
is not the first time mold on maple syrup has been discussed here. The
information at that site may be accurate but it is incomplete, it says
nothing about how everyone's immune system has a different tolerence
to molds. The types of molds that can survive the concentrated
sweetness of maple syrup is not something I'd want to risk ingesting
as it very well may be quite difficult to rid your body of; probably
causes a lot more serious fungal blood infection than atheletes foot,
jock itch, yeast infections, and nail fungus. I don't recommend
trying to save an old bottle of maple syrup one probably forgot they
had, if it wasn't used for years they forgot they had it, I strongly
recommend tossing it. Remember, with fungi what you see at the
surface is only the very tip of an immense iceberg, removing the part
you see (the fruiting bodies) is a very, very small part of the
organism. By the time you see the fruiting bodies the organism's
mycillium have infiltrated all of its host. You really can't cut away
a fungus, only the least educated would think that removing the
visible portion of a fungus renders a food safe, NOT!

[Brooklyn1]

On 11 May 2012 13:49:28 GMT, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:

>On 2012-05-11, Gary <g.ma...@att.net> wrote:
>
>> Actually, I had some pure maple syrup once that grew 'mold' on the top. My
>> fault probably though as it sat in my fridge unused for many years. Someone
>> told me I could just skim it off but I ended up throwing it out. I don't
>> take chances with food.
>
>I can only go by what I experienced. After I got out of the service,
>I spent some time in upstate NY with a couple sidetrips into NH in
>late fall. Was given some real maple syrup as a going-away gift from
>one of my friends. It crsytalized within a couple yrs, despite being
>stored in a cool dark place in a sealed wire bale jar.

Crystalization ain't mold... your head is up a dark place! LOL

[notbob]

On 2012-05-11, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:

> Crystalization ain't mold...

The twit has a mind like a steel trap. Sewage trap! ....fulla shit.

nb

--
vi --the heart of evil!

Support labeling GMOs
<http://www.labelgmos.org/>

[Ed Pawlowski]

On Fri, 11 May 2012 10:16:05 -0500, "Nunya Bidnits"
<nunyab...@eternal-september.invalid> wrote:



>>
>> a. Skim off the top surface of the syrup where the mold has formed and
>> dispose of it.
>
>[clip rest of dubious instructions]
>
>I'm always astonished at impossible instructions.
>
>Since maple syrup typically comes in a rather narrow neck bottle to
>facilitate pouring, how would they suggest we go about physically skimming
>off the top surface? I just looked at the bottle in my cabinet and there's
>no way. And if you pour it out, you've just mixed it into the syrup. In that
>case, if they are correct about the mold being non-toxic, you could just go
>ahead and stir it in well, but that method will squick the majority of
>people. OTOH they say it's harmless but ugly, but they say nothing about the
>impact on flavor.
>
>MartyB
>

I could do that in the table container I use for syrup. But I won't.
Not enough in there to make it worth while. I did have some in a
quart jug that was left our of the fridge. Agree thee is no way to
scrape the mold there so since it was 3/4 gone, I tossed that also.

Never had it get mold in the fridge, but usually, it does not last
more than a couple of months.

[Steve Pope]

On Fri, 11 May 2012 10:16:05 -0500, "Nunya Bidnits"

>Since maple syrup typically comes in a rather narrow neck bottle to
>facilitate pouring, how would they suggest we go about physically skimming
>off the top surface?

I always warm the entire bottle of maple syrup over the pilot while
I'm making pancakes, such that most sugar scum either dissolves back
in on its own, or can be shaken to mix it in.

Of course, I pour syrup on the pancakes myself in the kitchen, before
serving them to anyone. That way none of those dining see a
scum-encrusted bottle of syrup.

If your goal is to pass around a bottle of syrup at the table, then
you may have an aesthetic problem


Steve

[Gary]

Brooklyn1 wrote:
>
> Remember, with fungi what you see at the
> surface is only the very tip of an immense iceberg,

OT: and speaking of an iceberg, below is a link to a very cool pic of an
iceberg. They say how you can only see about 10% of one on the surface.
This pic shows you just that. It's either a composite or a fake one, but
just shows you the entire thing. I scanned this out of a college geography
textbook. I've always loved this pic.

http://i45.tinypic.com/x1dov6.jpg

Gary

[gtr]

On 2012-05-11 00:37:24 +0000, Dwight said:

> We have stored syrup in a bottle in the frig, and it has a light,
> whitish crust.
>
> I say it is crystalized sugar, and we should just warm it up.
>
> My wife worries it may be mold.

The wife points out that she once was a maple syrup fan and that it did
indeed grow mold when she got natural, organic types of brands that
hadn't been jerked with.

The ubiquitous General Foods type brands, though can last through the
next ice age without molding, she tells me.

I don't think you mentioned the brand but thought I would relay.

[Jean B.]

That's striking!

--
Jean B.