This was affirmed by researchers at the University of Rhode Island, the annual conference of the American Chemical Society (ACS) held recently in Anaheim, California.
Thus, from a sample of 20 liters of maple syrup from Quebec, the researchers identified twenty new active compounds, mainly from the family of polyphenols.
One of these new molecules has even been named after "Quebecol" in honor of the syrup from which it originated .
These new molecules discovered in the maple syrup would be more "active" than those found in blueberries, the researchers said. By cons, their concentration would be 100 times less.
Thus, the only consumption of maple syrup would not derive any benefit from these new compounds on health. Maple syrup does not constitute a superfood by itself, but its extracts could become.
It is estimated that this discovery would create functional foods, or even medication for diabetics or people with colorectal cancer .
A better tolerated sugar of diabetics?
Yves Desjardins
According to Yves Desjardins, professor of plant science at Laval University, the glycemic index of maple syrup is similar to other syrups (corn, agave, Okinawa). "But in people with diabetes, one might think that maple syrup is better tolerated because it contains abscisic acid in large quantities," suggests one who is also a researcher at the Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (INAF) at the same university.
It was Yves Desjardins who discovered the presence of this acid in the syrup. From the same family as the carotenoids, it is also found in many fruits and various seeds ( flax , mustard ) and pulses ( soybean ).
"The abscisic acid contribute to release insulin in the pancreas, to allow the entry of glucose into muscles and thus lowering blood sugar," he says.
He said the concentration of acid in abcsissique maple syrup is such that 60 ml would allow people resistant to insulin to better tolerate the maple syrup, which is nevertheless a 95% sucrose.
"This would explain why a person's blood sugar is more stable when it uses maple syrup instead of another sugar," says Desjardins.
