The usefulness of birch saps from the area of Podkarpacie to produce birch syrup

Abstract

In northern European countries, as well as in North America tree saps of maples and birches are used for the production of syrups. Birch syrups are characterized by a specific aromatic taste and can be used as an addition to sweets, desserts, salads and meats. Attention is paid to the health benefits of birch syrups, mainly for high mineral content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of birch saps obtained from the area of Podkarpacie for birch syrup production. HPLC-ELSD system was used for analysing the sugar content in the birch tree saps from four localization. All the examined saps contained the monosaccharides as fructose and glucose. The presence of sucrose was found in eight per twenty tested saps. There weren’t statistical differences between the studied sites for the averages of total sugar concentration in the tree saps samples. The highest average amount of total sugar was found in the D sites (11.74 g/dm3), whereas the lowest in the C sites (7.66 g/dm3). Silver birch tree saps from the area of Podkarpacie offer perspectives to used for syrup production according to the US and Finnish criteria of profitability.