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- [Instructor] This is Mark
Isselhardt, Maple Specialist

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with University of Vermont Extension.

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And this is another
"Vermont Maple Minute".

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Just as the sugars found in sap

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become concentrated during boiling,

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so too, are the naturally
occurring minerals found in sap.

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As the concentration of
minerals increases in the sap,

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it approaches, then exceeds
the point of saturation.

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When that happens, sugar sand,

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which is a precipitate made
primarily of calcium, forms

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and gives syrup a cloudy appearance.

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Syrup coming directly from the evaporator

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is therefore cloudy and must be filtered

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before being stored in a barrel
or bottled for consumer use.

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One way of removing sugar sand from syrup

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is with a pressure filter.

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These devices are used in many industries

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and rely on a pump to force
syrup through filter media.

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The most common filter media

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is food grade diatomaceous
earth, also known as DE.

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Make sure to follow the
recommended guidelines

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for safely handling DE.

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DE is the skeletal remains

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of single-celled plants called diatoms.

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These microscopic algae come
in many species and differ,

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depending on if they lived
in fresh or salt water.

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DE appears like a white powder.

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Under extremely high power magnification,

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diatoms have many complex
shapes, some like sand dollars,

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baskets or other sieve-like shapes.

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It is the secondary pores found

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on each individual DE particle

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that captures the fine sugar sand

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and produces a syrup that sparkles.

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This is Mark Isselhardt, Maple Specialist

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with the University of Vermont Extension.

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And this has been another
"Vermont Maple Minute".