United States

Department of

Agriculture

Agricultural

Marketing

Service

Fruit and

Vegetable

Division

Processed

Products

Branch

United States Standards

for Grades of

Maple Sirup

Effective date January 14, 1980
This is the second issue of the U.S. Standards for Grades of Maple Sirup. This issue was

published in the FEDERAL REGISTER of December 14, 1979, to become effective

January 14, 1980.

The previous issues of these standards were:

Maple Sirup for Reprocessing

First Issue: Effective February 15, 1940

 Amended: Effective May 24, 1967

Table Sirup

First Issue: Effective February 15, 1940

 Amended: Effective May 24, 1967

Voluntary U.S. grade standards are issued under the authority of the Agricultural

Marketing Act of 1946, which provides for the development of official U.S. grades to

designate different levels of quality. These grade standards are available for use by

producers, suppliers, buyers, and consumers. As in the case of other standards for grades

of processed fruits and vegetables, these standards are designed to facilitate orderly

marketing by providing a convenient basis for buying and selling, for establishing quality

control programs, and for determining loan values.

The standards also serve as a basis for the inspection and grading of commodities by the

Federal inspection service, the only activity authorized to approve the designation of U.S.

grades as referenced in the standards, as provided under the Agricultural Marketing Act

of 1946. This service, available as on-line (in-plant) or lot inspection and grading of all

processed fruit and vegetable products, is offered to interested parties, upon application,

on a fee-for-service basis. The verification of some specific recommendations,

requirements, or tolerances contained in the standards can be accomplished only by the

use of on-line inspection procedures. In all instances, a grade can be assigned based on

final product factors or characteristics.

In addition to the U.S. grade standards, grading manuals or instructions for inspection of

several processed fruits and vegetables are available upon request for a nominal

fee. These manuals or instructions contain detailed interpretations of the grade standards

and provide step-by-step procedures for grading the product.

Grade standards are issued by the Department after careful consideration of all data and

views submitted, and the Department welcomes suggestions which might aid in improving

the standards in future revisions. Comments may be submitted to, and copies of standards

and grading manuals obtained from:

Chief, Processed Products Branch

Fruit and Vegetable Division, AMS

U.S. Department of Agriculture

P.O. Box 96456, Rm. 0709, So. Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20090-6456
United States Standards for Grades of Maple Sirup

Section Page No.

§52.5961 Product description. ........................................ 2

§52.5962 Grades. .................................................. 2

§52.5963 Recommended Fill of Container. ............................... 3

§52.5964 Color. ................................................... 3

§52.5965 Classification of Requirements. ............................... 3

§52.5966 Explanation of Terms. ....................................... 4

§52.5967 Determining the Grade of a Lot. ............................... 5

§52.5968 Reserved. ................................................ 5

Authority: Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, Secs. 203, 205, 60 Stat. 1087, as

amended, 1090, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1622, 1624).

Note: Compliance with the provisions of these standards shall not excuse failure to

comply with the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or with

applicable State laws and regulations.
2

§52.5961 Product description.

(a) Maple sirup means maple sirup represented as defined in the Standards of

Identity for Maple Sirup (21 CFR 168.140) issued under the Federal Food,

Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The solids content of the finished maple sirup shall

be not less than 66 percent by weight (Brix).

(b) Federal inspection certificates shall limit U.S. Grade B maple sirup to a

quality suitable for reprocessing only. U.S. Grade B maple sirup shall be

considered unsuitable for consumer labeling.

§52.5962 Grades.

(a) U.S. Grade A is the quality of maple sirup that:

(1) Has good color;

(2) Has good flavor and odor; 

(3) Is practically free from defects; and

(4) Is practically clear.

(b) U.S. Grade B for Reprocessing is the quality of maple sirup that:

(1) Has fairly good color; 

(2) Has fairly good flavor and odor;

(3) Is fairly free from defects;

(4) Is fairly clear; and

(5) Is suitably designated or labeled as a reprocessing grade to qualify

for Federal grading, inspection, or certification. Reprocessing grade

maple sirup shall not be packaged in consumer size containers.

(c) Substandard is the quality of maple sirup that fails to meet the requirements

for U.S. Grade B for Reprocessing.
3

§52.5963 Recommended Fill of Container.

The recommended fill of container is not incorporated in the grades of the product since

fill of container, as such, is not a factor of quality for the purpose of these grades. It is

recommended that each container be filled with sirup as full as practicable and that the

product occupy not less than 90 percent of the volume of the container.

§52.5964 Color.

(a) General. Color has reference to the color of maple sirup when examined by

means of the USDA permanent glass color standards for maple sirup.

(b) Availability of color standards. The color standards referred to in this

section are available only from the approved supplier under a license from

the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Information regarding these color

standards may be obtained by writing to:

Chief, Processed Products Branch

Fruit and Vegetable Division, AMS

U.S. Department of Agriculture

P.O. Box 96456, Rm. 0709, So. Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20090-6456

§52.5965 Classification of Requirements.

(a) "A" classification. 

(1) Good color means that the sirup color is bright and typical of maple

sirup prepared from sound, properly gathered sap; and, in addition,

meets the following spectral requirements:

(i) U.S. Grade A light amber is as light, or lighter, in color than

the USDA Light Amber Glass Color Standard.

(ii) U.S. Grade A medium amber is darker in color than light

amber, but is no darker than the USDA Medium Amber Glass

Color Standard.

(iii) U.S. Grade A dark amber is darker in color than medium

amber, but is no darker than the USDA Dark Amber Glass

Color Standard.
4

(2) The sirup shall have a good maple flavor characteristic of the color;

shall be clean; practically clear; practically free from damage; and

shall be free from serious damage.

(b) "B" classification.

(1) Fairly good color means that the sirup color is darker in color than

the USDA Dark Amber Glass Color Standard, but is not off-color for

any reason.

(2) The sirup has a fairly good characteristic maple flavor; is fairly free

from damage; is fairly clear; and is free from serious damage.

(c) Substandard classification. Maple sirup that fails to meet the requirements

of paragraph (b) of this section shall not be graded above Substandard.

§52.5966 Explanation of Terms.

(a) Cloudiness means the presence, in suspension, of fine particles of mineral

matter, such as malate of lime, niter, sugar sand, calcium malate, or other

substances that detract from the clearness of the sirup.

(b) Clean means that the sirup shall be practically free from foreign material

such as pieces of bark, soot, dust, or dirt.

(c) Damage means any defect that materially affects the appearance, edibility,

or shipping quality of the sirup.

(d) Serious damage means any defect that seriously affects the edibility or

market value of the sirup. Badly scorched sirup, buddy sirup, fermented

sirup, or sirup that has any distasteful foreign flavor or disagreeable odor

shall be considered as seriously damaged.

(e) Buddy flavor, buddiness is an unpleasant flavor characteristic of sirup

made from sap collected from maple trees as they come out of dormancy.

(f) U.S. Department of Agriculture Color Standard means the official U.S.

Department of Agriculture Permanent Glass Color Standards for Maple

Sirup.
5

§52.5967 Determining the Grade of a Lot.

The grade of a lot of maple sirup covered by these standards is determined by the

procedures set forth in the Regulations Governing Inspection and Certification of

Processed Fruits and Vegetables, Processed Products Thereof, and Certain Other

Processed Food Products (7 CFR 52.1 through 52.83); Provided that:

(a) When certifying the color of a sample that has been officially drawn and

which represents a specific lot of maple sirup, the lot shall be considered as

being of one color if the number of color deviants does not exceed the

acceptance number in the appropriate sampling plan. Any lot of maple sirup

in which the number of color deviants exceeds the acceptance number shall

be designated as a lot of mixed color.

(b) No deviants for serious damage shall be allowed in grades above

Substandard.

§52.5968 Reserved.

Effective date: The United States Standards for Grades of Maple Sirup shall become

effective January 14, 1980, and thereupon will supersede United States Standards for

Grades of Table Maple Sirup an United States Standards for Grades of Maple Sirup for

Reprocessing which have been in effect since May 24, 1967.

NOTE: This final rule has been reviewed under the USDA criteria established to

implement Executive Order 12044, Improving Government Regulations.

A determination has been made that this action shall not be classified

significant under those criteria. A Final Impact Statement has been

prepared and is available from:

Chief, Processed Products Branch

Fruit and Vegetable Division, AMS

U.S. Department of Agriculture

P.O. Box 96456, Rm. 0709, So. Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20090-6456

Done at Washington, D.C., on: December 14, 1979

/s/

Donald L. Houston

Administrator

Food Safety and Quality Service