Comparing Sugar Maple and Sugar Cane

Humans have evolved to love the taste of sugar, and it has never been so easily attainable. The modern obesity epidemic can partially be attributed to the ease in which carbohydrate dense sugars can be synthesized and added to junk food. However, historically sugar was much more difficult to acquire. In northeastern North America Maple trees (Acer Saccharum) were used as a reliable, albeit seasonal, source of sugar for indigenous tribes. Meanwhile in Southeastern Asia various species of sugar cane (Saccharum officinum) were grown for sugar.

Other than their adaptation to sequester naturally produced sugars Maple Trees and Sugar Canes couldn’t be more different. This is reflected in the mechanism of sugar sequestration each has. Maple trees live in temperate climates where seasonal weather has a strong effect on them. They store the sugar they produced over the summer in their roots before winter arrives. Come spring they begin pumping the sugar back up their xylem toward their buds where their deciduous leaves are growing. This phenological adaptation allows Maple Trees to be seasonally tapped for their syrup. Once it is extracted it is boiled to remove the water and thereby concentrate the syrup. While indigenous tribes had been extracting syrup for centuries the refinement of the extraction process led Maple Syrup to become iconic to northern North America, to the extent that an Acer Saccharum leaf is on the Canadian flag. Maple Syrup is used to accompany a variety of foods, most frequently pancakes and french toast. Quality Maple Syrup has a light color and is not overly viscous or overwhelmingly sweet. Vermont, the largest producer of Maple Syrup in the United States, has very guidelines for Maple Syrup grading.

Sugar Cane production is not nearly as regulated as Maple Syrup. Indeed, the unfortunate truth is that as a cash crop grown in typically poor tropical countries, it has led to the abuse of human rights. When Sugar Cane was discovered by Europeans exploring Asia it was then brought to the Caribbean where it fueled the slave labor trade. Even now Sugar Cane farmers in many places live under poor conditions. Yet, it provides 70% of the world’s sugar in the food industry, so regulation of Sugar Cane production should be of global concern.

In contrast to Maple Trees, Sugar Cane is a perennial grass (belonging to the family Poaceae) that grows all year in tropical climates with sufficient water. As a tropical plant sugar cane does not need to store its sugar underground. Its sugars are always stored in the vascular bundles of the stem internodes, making it very easy to collect.

It is also worth noting that Sugar Cane also has potential to be used as a biofuel, and it has one of the highest carbon dioxide sequestration capabilities in the plant kingdom. Even harvesting and burning it does not release carbon dioxide back to the atmosphere. This makes Sugar Cane a plant of high scientific interest with the onset of global climate change.

I am and unashamed to admit that I have a sweet tooth, and therefore I love both Sugar Cane and Maple Syrup. However, if I could only live with one it would undoubtedly be Maple Syrup. Side Note: I think Aunt Jemima Breakfast Syrup is an abomination to syrup, although as a Canadian I might be biased. The best Maple Syrup I’ve ever had was given fresh to me from a family friend who taps his trees every spring.

Text Sources

https://epubs.scu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1783&context=esm_pubs

https://web.archive.org/web/20120604003442/http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Saccharum-officinarum.htm

https://www.britannica.com/plant/sugarcane

https://vermontmaple.org/maple-syrup-grades

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h240

http://eol.org/pages/582247/overview

Image Sources

https://jakemans-maple-products.myshopify.com/collections/maple-syrup/products/autumn-leaf-maple-syrup-100ml

https://www.lurveys.com/products/lurvey-select-green-goods/trees-and-ornamentals/ACESACMA00040

https://www.biovoicenews.com/new-technique-developed-fight-white-grub-infestation-sugarcane/

https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/punjab-cabinet-hikes-sugarcane-price-by-rs-10-quintal/story-szw0mT3IQMc90cZSvPzTcM.html