Birch syrup is a savory, mineral tasting syrup made from the sap of birch trees and produced in much the same way as maple syrup. It is usually paired with pork or salmon dishes in sauces, glazes and dressings. As a relatively new product, research is just beginning on various topics related to the effect of production techniques on flavor. Liquid-liquid extraction and headspace methods have been published. We used a solid phase microextraction (SPME) method for flavor analysis. Birch syrup is diluted with salt saturated water (6 mL water: 9 grams syrup) and sealed in 20 mL headspace vials. Using an autosampler, each sample is heated to 65° C and agitated for 5 minutes. A SPME fiber (60/40 DVB/CAR in PDMS) is exposed to the headspace for 60 minutes and then desorbed at 270° C for 1 minute in the injection port of a 7890 gas chromatograph. In order to separate all of the compounds found, 2 columns were needed: a 5% crosslinked PDMS column interfaced with a 5973 mass spectrometer and a free fatty acid column interfaced with a 5975 mass spectrometer. Compounds were identified by searching against the Wiley version 7 library and confirmed where possible by analyzing authentic compounds. Compound classes identified include 8 acids, 2 alcohols, 4 aldehydes, 2 alkanes, 4 alkenes, 15 aromatics, 4 esters, 16 furans, 4 ketones, 3 pyrazines, 2 pyrrols, a pyridazine and a pyridine. This rapid method can be used to study various alternative methods of producing birch syrup. Comparisons with birch sap may determine which compounds are a result of heat (such as pyrazines and hydroxydihydromaltol) and which are present in the sap (such as acids). This research will benefit birch tree farmers, syrup producers and consumers by improving product consistency and quality.

Identification and quantification of flavor compounds in birch syrup using SPME-GC-MS

255th National Meeting (2018)

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