By Blake Jackson
Sugaring season is nearly here in Missouri, and Associate Professor Ben Knapp, PhD, has been leading maple syrup research at MU Baskett Forest in Ashland for over a decade.
Since 2012, Knapp and his team, along with volunteers, tap up to 200 sugar maple trees each January to collect data on best practices and understand tree performance in Missouri’s environment.
“The project was designed around producing syrup while providing hands-on educational opportunities for students,” said Knapp.
“We often offer an undergraduate student an internship position with the maple syrup project, with responsibilities including assisting with general production, organizing events to showcase the project, and collecting data on sap production and sugar content from individual trees.”
Graduate student Ren Klug joined the project in January 2024 to study factors predicting sap production and yields from alternative species like eastern black walnut and American sycamore. These trees offer potential for a high-value syrup market, as their syrup can sell for eight times the price of traditional maple syrup.
Last winter, Klug compared sap production using bucket and vacuum collection. Sugar maples produced the sweetest sap and the highest yields, which doubled under vacuum collection.
Black walnut yields remained similar between methods, while sycamore sap surged from 0.37 gallons per tap with buckets to 13.3 gallons per tap with vacuum. Despite low sugar content, sycamore syrup production increased with vacuum, offering niche opportunities for landowners.
Sugar maples provided 0.32 gallons of syrup per tap with vacuum collection, black walnut 0.03 gallons, and sycamore 0.09 gallons. Klug noted that while sycamore yields are low, its sap could be ideal for beverages: “Sycamore sap is low in sugar, so the syrup yields are very low. I see more possibilities for sycamore sap to be used in the beverage industry. I’d like to see a Missouri sycamore seltzer on the shelves in the next five years!”
Ongoing research with Dr. Chung-Ho Lin will explore health-promoting compounds in sap, potentially boosting the market for specialty syrups and beverages from Missouri trees.
Photo Credit: pixabay-johan1127
Categories: Missouri, Education, General