SAINT-LAZARE, Que.—CDL is planning a 2023 launch of a new product it says will revolutionize the industry.
CDL has spent the past three sugaring seasons developing and testing a liquid sweetener called Nectar, which has the consistent flavor, color and stable storage qualities food companies are looking for.
Nectar is a high brix (60-70 percent) concentrate that includes all nutrients originally included in raw sap coming from the tree.
It is a natural sweetener with healthy benefits that could be used in many different foods and beverages, creating new opportunities for maple market development.
"CDL's goal behind this project is to allow the overall maple industry to gain worldwide market shares into liquid sweeteners," said Maryse Bernier, company marketing director.
"We want to bring this technology on the market in the near future so it can benefit all existing and future maple producers and buyers looking for innovative maple products. We will make it available to any companies that may be interested in the product and technology," she said.
Nectar's high-nutrient quality makes it an attractive natural product that can replace existing liquid sweeteners.
"We can preserve the nutrients by combining an ultra-filtration, high-brix concentration system and low temperature evaporation technologies in a patented process.
The process allows the operator to control the desired final brix and will allow preservation as good as maple syrup when packed in stainless steel drums. Nectar is 100 percent soluble when mixed in a liquid."
But she said Nectar won't compete with or pose a direct threat to maple syrup, which many food companies already use to sweeten things such as cereal and meats such as maple-flavored ham.
"We should not compare Nectar to maple syrup," Bernier said.
"They are both great products and great sweeteners. Nectar will open new markets because of its different characteristics like color, nutrients, taste and brix, which will make it a great maple ingredient for specific application in food processing for companies that may be interested in maple as a healthier and better sweetener," she said.
