Tiny bit of mold on maple syrup—can I still bottle it?

Tiny bit of mold on maple syrup—can I still bottle it? - Close-up Photo of a Small Glass

If there's a tiny bit of mold on nearly-finished maple syrup (like, a tiny patch in a pot of 1.5 gal), and it's removed and the syrup is brought back to a boil, is there any particular pathogen that would make it unsafe to bottle? Wikipedia says botulism toxin "is destroyed by heating to more than 85 °C (185 °F) for greater than 5 minutes." But is there any other information I'm missing?

I'm fully expecting a lot of "better safe than sorry" comments. Short answer to that is, "yeah I know."

food-safetycanningmaple-syrup


Best Answer

Not many molds can live in a substance with such a low water activity. They call those things "xerophiles": they're the food equivalent of those bacteria that grow in cyanide and lava and crap like that...Foodie extremophiles.

These are probably some kind of wallemiomycetes. I can't find any information on whether or not they're toxic, but, generally if you have any kind of mold infestation, it will affect the taste.



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Can I use maple syrup with mold?

Should mold grow on maple syrup, it's safe and easy to remove. Just scoop the mold off the top of the syrup with a spoon and discard the mold. Another way of removing the mold is to strain the maple syrup into a clean container through a piece of cheesecloth.

Can you get botulism from maple syrup?

Foodborne botulism is a risk for everyone. Because maple syrup is highly concentrated (with little water content) and very high in sugar, the syrup offers an unfavorable environment for the growth of C. botulinum spores.

How can you tell if maple syrup is spoiled?

  • Maple syrup doesn't really go bad if you store it properly. ...
  • Another sign that something bad is going on is that your maple syrup smells off.
  • The smell can be sour (fermentation), yeasty, or simply \u201cfunny.\u201d If the smell is off, just throw it away.


    • Why has my maple syrup gone Mouldy?

    A fungus that can grow in maple syrup is not your average everyday mold, it's a xerophile. Xerophiles grow in places that are too dry and hostile for your average fungus. OK, maple syrup is wet, but it's also extremely high in sugar.


    Here's why maple syrup jugs have teeny tiny handles



    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: Hesham Photography, Engin Akyurt, Karolina Grabowska, David Bares

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