Maple syrup sells for prices twenty times that of crude oil, making the billion-dollar maple industry a major source of revenue for North American countries, particularly the United States and Canada1,2. In our team’s home state of New York, annual maple production totals over 845,000 gallons, worth about 30 million US dollars3. Unfortunately, despite being a major source of revenue, the maple industry is severely under-researched and has received little attention by the scientific community. Yet, several costly issues can arise during the process of maple syrup production. One such problem is defective syrup. Defects refer to any irregularity in syrup that adversely affects the taste, smell, appearance, or texture of the product 4. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) deems defective syrup unfit for human consumption, so this syrup is unable to be sold on the market and is typically thrown away 4. Almost one in twenty volumes of syrup contains some type of defect, meaning that an estimated 1.5 million US dollars are lost due to defective syrup in New York alone 5. Defective syrup thus represents both a major source of food waste and a significant loss in profits for sugarmakers across the industry. Two common defects are buddy syrup, characterized by a cabbage-like taste due to metabolic changes in the tree as it prepares to grow leaves in the spring, and ropy syrup, which has a stringy texture resulting from bacterial contamination.
We created our project to help alleviate the burden of these defects in several ways, from early detection of defective sap to repurposing of unsellable syrup. We built novel biosensors to detect the buddy defect in sap straight from the tree and also created a procedure for turning unsellable ropy syrup into valuable dextran, which in turn can be made into hydrogels. Throughout the course of our project, one of our highest priorities was to be cognizant of the needs of our stakeholders. New York is home to over 2,000 sugarmakers, ranging from hobbyists who tap a few trees in their backyards to large-scale producers who generate thousands of gallons every year 6. When learning from people involved in maple production, we sought to hear from a diverse array of perspectives to ensure that our feedback represented the entire maple industry.
Preliminary Research
After selecting maple syrup as our project topic, we met with several industry experts to learn from people with first-hand experience with the issue of maple syrup defects. These meetings also helped us contextualize our project within the scope of the maple industry.
Shadow Hill Maple Syrup
Figure 1. Photograph of Saptasense team members Sarah B, Sarah C, Shalaka, and Danielle talking with sugarmaker Dan Milke of Shadow Hill Maple Syrup at his farm Figure 2. Photograph of four syrup samples in a line arranged from lightest to darkest going from left to right At a Glance
Maple syrup darkens over the course of the sugaring season, with buddy syrup occurring at the very end
The highest selling syrup is dark, which also has the highest risk of being buddy
Large producers who tap trees until the end of the season would be primary targets for our buddy sap sensor
Climate change contributes to shorter and more variable sugaring seasons, increasing the risk of trees unexpectedly producing buddy sap
Measuring invert sugar with a commercial glucometer is a significant problem in the maple industry that our project could potentially address
We met with Dan Milke, owner of Shadow Hill Maple Syrup, as we were initially planning our project. At the time, we had recently chosen buddy and ropy syrups as the project targets. Dan explained that over the course of the maple sugaring season, which coincides with the transition from winter to spring, the syrup gradually becomes darker and develops a more intense maple flavor. To illustrate this point, we tasted four syrup samples that were collected at different points in the sugaring season. Dan told us that a majority of sales come from darker late season syrup, which is when trees are likely to begin producing buddy sap. He had not had personal experience with buddy sap, though he noted that this was because he pulls taps early to avoid the risk of producing buddy syrup. The downside of this approach is that he loses the non-buddy sap that he otherwise would have been able to collect. Dan predicted that our buddy sap sensor would be most useful for larger producers who tap trees as long as they can and are therefore at the highest risk of extracting buddy sap from their trees. When asked about the impact of climate change on the maple industry, Dan noted that the sugaring season has started earlier in more recent years, and that warm spells are causing the trees to bud unseasonably early, resulting in less predictable sugaring seasons.
We also asked Dan what issue in the maple industry he would like to see solved. He quickly responded that he wants a way to easily measure the levels of invert sugar in maple syrup used to make maple confections. Invert sugar refers to the total amount of glucose and fructose in a solution, and invert sugar levels can impact the sweetness, solubility, and crystallization of confectionary products7. Dan explained that the current method for measuring invert sugar is to dilute the syrup and then assess the glucose levels using a commercial glucometer. Dan expressed that the dilution is very difficult with the equipment he has access to, and errors in this step can drastically affect the glucometer readout. Since the creation of confectionary products requires precise conditions, an improper measure of invert sugar content may cause the confections to be unsatisfactory and unsellable. Dan expressed his desire for a glucometer that does not require the syrup to be diluted. The team found this idea intriguing, and after some research into the issue we considered adding an additional module to our project to address this unexpected need within the maple industry. We first wanted to explore other sugarmakers’ experience with measuring invert sugar, which led to subsequent meetings with industry professionals such as the Cornell Maple Program.
Our meeting with Shadow Hill gave us a significant amount of background information to contextualize the problems that we wanted to address in our project. We learned that our target audience for the buddy sap sensor would likely be large maple producers who tap trees as long into the spring as possible. We also learned how climate change is adversely impacting the maple industry, which led to further research to determine that Dan's observation was held by other sugarmakers as well. Finally, we were made aware of an entirely new problem that had not appeared in any prior literature: measuring invert sugar levels. We were unsure of the scope of this issue, so we decided to discuss invert sugar at subsequent meetings with industry professionals.
Sterling Valley Maple, Schiek’s Maple Products, and Flint’s Maple at the Rochester Public Market
Figure 3. Photograph of Saptasense team members Sarah B, Sarah C, and Danielle at the Flint’s Maple stand at the Rochester Public Market At a Glance
Detecting invert sugar is a common problem among sugarmakers
Sugarmakers are generally unable to invest in expensive equipment for ancillary products
The dilution step required for measuring invert sugar using a glucometer is unreliable due to the lack of equipment for accurately measuring small volumes
A glucometer that does not require the dilution step would be valuable for sugarmakers
Following this meeting, we officially added a glucometer to measure invert sugar to our project
Amish sugarmakers would likely not have use for our product.
We visited the Rochester Public Market to engage with maple producers in our community. The Public Market is a biweekly event where farmers from all around the region sell their goods to the Rochester community. During our trip to the market we spoke with three sugarmakers: Flint’s Maple, Sterling Valley Maple, and Schiek’s Maple Products. Joshua Stamp from Sterling Valley Maple recounted his experience with detecting invert sugar and was able to explain the issue in more detail. He explained that sugarmakers must dilute their syrup to measure invert sugar levels because glucometers are not built to accurately measure solutions with glucose concentrations as high as what is present in maple syrup. Sugarmakers must therefore dilute the syrup by a factor of 10 before applying the diluted solution to the glucometer and calculating the corresponding glucose concentration in the syrup. We learned that the major difficulty in this process is due to the small scale in which the sugarmakers are performing the dilution. The lack of proper equipment for measuring small volumes means that the actual dilution factor is often incorrect, resulting in an inaccurate read. The simplest solution to this issue would be to buy a more accurate scale for measuring the syrup, but Joshua noted that such a device would be too expensive for most small producers. When asked about buddy sap, the sugarmakers reiterated what we learned at Shadow Hill, that many smaller producers pull their taps early to avoid the buddy defect altogether despite the loss in sap yield. We also spoke with a group of Amish sugarmakers who we will leave anonymous. They suggested that they likely would not use our products due to the genetically engineered components.
Our trip to the Public Market demonstrated that many maple producers come out to sell their products at community events, making maple syrup a significant local community staple. Joshua Stamp confirmed that measuring invert sugar is a widespread issue and further contextualized the problem for us by explaining the reason why sugarmakers must dilute their syrup and why producers have trouble with this step in the process. After this meeting, we decided to commit to creating a glucometer to address this need in the industry. His assertion that most sugarmakers would not be able to purchase expensive equipment reinforced our goal to make our products as inexpensive as possible. Our conversation with the Amish sugarmakers further contextualized who our target audience is and is not. Unfortunately, we cannot remove the synthetic biology aspects of our project, so we will avoid advertising our device to the Amish out of respect for their culture.
Cornell Maple Program
Figure 4. Photograph of maple researcher Aaron Wightman showing Saptsense team member Carly a piece of sugaring equipment
“I think overall quality is important for the industry, and if tools to produce higher quality, better flavor syrup are made widely available, that’s better for everyone”
At a Glance
All producers are experiencing a significant risk of generating buddy syrup due to increased variability in the climate
Smaller producers would be the most likely to use our glucometer
The profits from repurposing dextran would outweigh the costs for producing defective syrup in the first place
We will need to quantify the amounts of dextran in our hydrogels for marketing purposes
The team met with Catherine Belisle and Aaron Wightman from the Cornell Maple Research Program. Catherine is a food scientist with a BS in food science as well as an MS and PhD in horticulture, and Aaron is a state maple specialist who oversees the Arnot Forest research sugarbrush and maple lab. We discussed the research that the Cornell program has done in developing products with inedible syrup, such as the fermentation of maple beverages, as well as the program’s experience with ropy syrup, buddy sap, inverted sugar, and some ethics behind maple production. We learned that a majority of producers have encountered or had problems with buddy sap, and that smaller producers usually pull taps early in order to prevent spoiling. However, with global temperatures rising yearly, trees bud faster and cause the maple season to shorten, leaving sugarmakers with no choice but to pull taps even sooner than expected, resulting in lost profits. As of now, the only way sugarmakers can prepare for this is an educated guess, as no commercial devices exist for buddy sap detection. As we had seen before, the primary drawback of this approach is that sugarmakers lose out on the sap that they could have collected between when they pulled their taps and when the tree actually begins to produce buddy sap. We also discussed our project goal of creating a tool to accurately detect invert sugar levels that is accessible to all sugarmakers. We learned that most larger producers, who make up roughly 80% of the market, possess the specialized equipment to accurately measure small volumes of syrup. However, Aaron and Catherine predicted that our product would still be in demand, as it would further streamline the measurement process. They also confirmed our prediction that smaller sugarmakers would likely make use of our glucometer. On the topic of ropy syrup, Aaron told us that ropy syrup was usually a product of poor sanitation practice, though it is possible for any sugarmaker to develop ropy syrup. We also asked Aaron and Catherine whether the ropy syrup repurposing would be profitable. Based on Aaron’s brief calculations, the profit from the dextran produced by our engineered bacteria is projected to overshadow the total labor, material, and energy cost of producing the low grade ropy syrup, making this aspect of our project a worthwhile investment. However, we would need to figure out how to quantify dextran yields as well as the effectiveness of a hydrogel in order to market our solution as a way to reclaim profits lost due to the production of defective syrup. They suggested we talk to Merle Maple about the scientific side of our project since their co-owner has a biochemistry background.
Upon talking with these experts we were able to reframe the target audience of our project to make it more compatible with the maple syrup market on multiple scales. In particular, we were reaffirmed that while producers of all sizes would potentially find our glucometer useful, this component of our project would most significantly affect smaller producers who lack specialized equipment to measure small volumes of maple syrup. In addition, the meeting provided valuable scientific expertise regarding the maple industry. While our individual sugarmaker interviews were helpful in learning about specific industry perspectives, our meeting with the Cornell Maple Program gave us empirical data showing trends that represented the maple industry as a whole, such as the fact that most producers have had experience with buddy syrup. This fact in particular allowed us to widen our serviceable obtainable market to all producers in the field. The Cornell Maple Program also donated some late season sap for us to test our biosensors on.
Sterling Valley Maple
Figure 5. Screenshot of Saptasense team members Sarah C, Mackenzie, An, and Alec meeting with sugarmaker Joshua Stamp of Sterling Valley Maple over Zoom
“One or two drops can make a huge difference in the glucose readout”
At a Glance
Many sugarmakers in the industry are constantly implementing new products in their operations, so our market would not be impeded by a lack of interest
Buddy syrup is usually not a problem in soft maple trees but can affect hard maple trees
Tapline sanitation is a significant issue in the maple industry
We had spoken with Joshua Stamp briefly at the Rochester Public Market, and we set up this meeting to talk about our project in more depth. We discussed the details of our project, and he gave us some insight into how we can further benefit the maple syrup industry. He explained the differences between certain types of maple trees and how these differences impact sap yield and tree maintenance. Buddy syrup is not an issue in “softer” maples like red and silver maples because they tend to stop producing sap before the tree begins to bud. This slightly narrows our market to sugarmakers who tap hard maple trees. Josh noted that many producers, particularly the large ones, are always interested in ways to increase their productivity and would likely be the most accepting audience for our project. We also discussed the impact of climate change on maple production. He echoed other sugarmakers’ concerns that the temperatures are becoming more variable, causing unpredictability in the sugaring season. Finally, we asked Joshua if he had any problems that we could possibly address in our project. He expressed how it is difficult to maintain proper tap line sanitation, especially since freezing cycles can draw tap line bacteria back into the tap hole in the tree and cause it to close prematurely. We briefly discussed potential ways to clean the taps and agreed that while it was not directly a synthetic biology issue, we would consider tapline sanitation as a potential topic for our human practices.
We learned several important facts to further refine our target audience. For example, hard maple trees are more likely to develop buddy sap because soft maple trees stop producing sap before bud break, so sugarmakers who primarily tap hard maple trees would be more likely to use our product. We also learned that a majority of the industry, particularly larger producers, would be willing to incorporate advances into their operations, demonstrating that our target market is significantly wide. This meeting also revealed tapline sanitation as an issue that could be a potential subject of a community outreach initiative.
Mapletree Farm
Figure 6. Photograph of Saptasense team member Danielle with sugarmaker Dean Wilber of Mapletree Farm at his farm with sugaring equipment in the background At a Glance
Poor practice, including tapping at improper times, is often to blame for off-flavors
Maple Producer’ Associations regulations vary significantly across the world, so we would need to review regulations on a state-by-state basis when introducing our product into the industry
Dean Wilber, owner of Mapletree Farm, has been sugaring at his farm for 47 years and offered to show the team around his sugarhouse and share his extensive knowledge of the maple industry with the team. Dean first spoke about his experience as a consultant for Bascom Maple where he was responsible for reviewing sugarhouse practices for OSHA compliance and organic food certifications. He shared that industry standards for maple production aren’t as standardized as one may think. Different states and Maple Producer Associations tend to have different rules and regulations, if any. This lack of consistency means that we unfortunately do not have a single set of international regulations we can check to ensure that our products are not violating any industry standards. We will instead have to operate on a state-by state basis. Dean noted that, in his experience, many off-flavors that are found in syrup tend to come from poor sugaring practices. This can be anything from not using food-safe plastic when transporting sap and syrup between machines, to not cleaning sugaring materials like taps, tubing, and evaporators after every use. When asked about his experiences with the ropy and buddy off flavors this team is tackling for our iGEM project, Dean stated that he has never personally produced any of these defective syrups. However, Dean said that over the course of his career as both a consultant and sugarmaker, he has seen many other farms produce these off flavors. He attributed it primarily to poor practices, especially unhygienic equipment. He also stated that many farmers, especially those new to the industry, do not take the time to properly tap their trees. Tapping too early in the season, in addition to tapping too late, can produce off-flavors unintentionally. Many farmers, in Dean’s experience, may try to tap early in order to begin selling faster than competitors. In reality, the quality of their syrup is likely not as high.
The meeting at Mapletree Farm gave us further insight into the business practices involved in the maple industry. The lack of significant regulation inspired the team to look further into industry standards and regulations, especially in terms of the implementation of our products. Additionally, Dean confirmed the difficulties with invert sugar detection that previous contacts had voiced to us, affirming that the addition of our third project module was necessary.
Merle Maple and Helen Thomas
Figure 7. Screenshot Saptasense team members Mackenzie, Shalaka, An, Danielle, Sarah C, and Alec meeting over Zoom with the sugarmakers from Merle Maple along with Helen Thomas, Executive Director of the New York State Maple Producers’ Association
“I perked up when you mentioned the glucometer”
At a Glance
Many sugarmakers in the industry are constantly implementing new products in their operations, so our market would not be impeded by a lack of interest
Buddy syrup is usually not a problem in soft maple trees but can affect hard maple trees
Tapline sanitation is a significant issue in the maple industry
We had spoken with Joshua Stamp briefly at the Rochester Public Market, and we set up this meeting to talk about our project in more depth. We discussed the details of our project, and he gave us some insight into how we can further benefit the maple syrup industry. He explained the differences between certain types of maple trees and how these differences impact sap yield and tree maintenance. Buddy syrup is not an issue in “softer” maples like red and silver maples because they tend to stop producing sap before the tree begins to bud. This slightly narrows our market to sugarmakers who tap hard maple trees. Josh noted that many producers, particularly the large ones, are always interested in ways to increase their productivity and would likely be the most accepting audience for our project. We also discussed the impact of climate change on maple production. He echoed other sugarmakers’ concerns that the temperatures are becoming more variable, causing unpredictability in the sugaring season. Finally, we asked Joshua if he had any problems that we could possibly address in our project. He expressed how it is difficult to maintain proper tap line sanitation, especially since freezing cycles can draw tap line bacteria back into the tap hole in the tree and cause it to close prematurely. We briefly discussed potential ways to clean the taps and agreed that while it was not directly a synthetic biology issue, we would consider tapline sanitation as a potential topic for our human practices.
We learned several important facts to further refine our target audience. For example, hard maple trees are more likely to develop buddy sap because soft maple trees stop producing sap before bud break, so sugarmakers who primarily tap hard maple trees would be more likely to use our product. We also learned that a majority of the industry, particularly larger producers, would be willing to incorporate advances into their operations, demonstrating that our target market is significantly wide. This meeting also revealed tapline sanitation as an issue that could be a potential subject of a community outreach initiative.
Inclusive User Experience
The maple industry is a diverse community that includes hobbyist sugarmakers who do not sell their syrup for profit, traditional syrup producers like the Amish who incorporate minimal modern technology into their practices (see “Rochester Public Market,” above), and Indigenous people who have been sugaring as an important part of their culture for thousands of years. We therefore analyzed our project from a variety of perspectives to ensure that we were respectful to all parts of the maple sugaring community.
Michael Galban at the Seneca Art and Culture Center
Figure 8. Photograph of Saptasense team members Sarah B, Danielle, Sarah C, and Isabelle in front of a recreation of a traditional Haudenosaunee longhouse made of wood with a thatched roof At a Glance
The origins of maple syrup making are not definitively documented due to the oral tradition of indigenous Americans
Indigenous Americans have been tapping trees for thousands of years and initially used to boil the sap all the way down to sugar
As part of our team’s commitment to honoring the original stewards of the land, and in an effort to learn more about the development of maple syrup by Indigenous Americans, several Saptasense team members visited the Seneca Art and Culture Center at the Ganondagan State Historic Site to learn more about the history and culture of the Haudenosaunee people who are the ancestral caretakers of the land on which the University of Rochester sits. We watched a recreation of the Haudenousaunee creation story that also contained scenes showing traditional dances. We viewed artifacts from early Haudenosaunee settlements and learned about the fraught relationship between them and European colonizers. We were fortunate to speak with Michael Galban, the historic site manager of the Ganondagan State Historic Site. He described his experience with maple syrup and explained indigenous traditions of maple syrup making. He noted that there is no written record documenting the exact origins of maple sugaring because early indigenous Americans largely used an oral history. Michael explained that generally, they would cut a slash in the maple tree and collect the sap, then boil it down to sugar for use in cooking. Michael directed us to several articles that discussed the origins of maple syrup making in more detail.
Our trip to the Seneca Art and Culture Center informed our team about the vibrant culture and history of the Seneca people who initially lived on the land where our university is currently located. Our talk with Michael gave us context for indigenous maple production, which inspired the team to brainstorm how we could ensure that our devices would align with their values in order to make our product inclusive to all sugarmakers. We decided that we would not market ourselves as saviors to the maple industry. Instead, we will present our devices as tools for sugarmakers to use if they so desire. Additionally, we will stop marketing our products to any group, whether they are Indigenous, Amish, or otherwise, if they display any discomfort with our technology. In short, we will be cognizant of and responsive to the sentiments of all of our possible users in order to respect everyone.
Kevin and Karli Casler
Figure 9. Photograph of Saptasense team member Sarah C with sugarmaker Kevin Casler and his daughter Karli At a Glance
Hobbyist sugarmakers with significant experience can estimate buddiness in their sap by eye, but novice sugarmakers are unable to do so, and large producers do not have the ability to check all of their taps regardless of experience. Our target market would therefore include novice sugarmakers and large-scale producers
Hobbyist sugarmakers would not need the profit gain from our ropy syrup repurposing program
Advertising our products at large equipment stores would attract attention from our target market
We met with sugarmaker Kevin Casler and his daughter Karli. Kevin has been sugaring as a hobby for about twenty years and makes about 7-20 gallons of syrup each year. We spoke with Kevin to learn whether a non-commercial sugarmaker would have any use for our products. Because Kevin does not sell his syrup for profit, he would not have a significant monetary incentive to repurpose any ropy syrup he might produce. He also does not make maple confections, so he would not have any use for our glucometer. On the topic of buddy sap, Kevin mentioned that he has figured out how to identify buddy sap by eye due to its yellow color and cloudy appearance, giving him an indication that the sugaring season is over. However, this process is only possible for small sugarmakers like Kevin who are able to check each individual tap frequently throughout the season. He noted that such a process would not be feasible for large commercial producers with thousands of taps. Kevin also hypothesized that novice hobbyist sugarmakers could find our device useful, as they would not have the experience to be able to identify buddy sap by eye. Kevin and Karli suggested that we market our products through large equipment manufacturers like CDL Sugaring Equipment in order to reach as many commercial producers as possible.
Kevin gave us valuable insights into how hobbyist sugarmakers may use our products. In general, it seems that hobbyist sugarmakers who do not sell their syrup would not have much use for our ropy syrup repurposing program. Large commercial sugarmakers and novice hobbyists would likely get the most use out of our buddy sap sensor, as they are unable to qualitatively assess the buddiness of all of their sap. We cannot make any conclusions regarding the use of our invert sugar glucometer because it is entirely possible that hobbyist producers make maple candies and creams, which would require the use of a glucometer. In fact, we predict that hobbyist sugarmakers may potentially be more inclined to use our glucometer compared to commercial producers because they would be less willing to invest in expensive equipment for measuring small volumes, making our glucometer an affordable alternative option.
Product Implementation
Ultimately, we want our product to represent the needs of the maple syrup industry. We first met with several entrepreneurial experts to learn more about the first steps in introducing a new product to the market. We then moved on to seeking consumer feedback from the sugarmakers who would be using our product.
University of Rochester Ain Center for Entrepreneurship
At a Glance
When making a business plan, we must consider the product or service, target customer, problem the product solves, benefit to customer, and what differentiates us from competitors
Customer discovery is a lot like our human practices work and focuses on putting ourselves in the role of the potential buyer
Our value proposition statement is “We help maple farmers reduce waste and production costs that will help them save money and product and create a new revenue stream using our novel, cost-effective solution.”
The University of Rochester has several offices dedicated to helping students prepare for life after college. One such office is the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship, an organization that gives students assistance in turning a product idea into a viable business. Our team reached out to the Ain Center to learn about the next steps in developing a business around our biosensors. We met with the entire Ain Center staff for the first time to discuss what they can provide for us. After this conversation, we planned to meet again later in the summer for a formal entrepreneurship workshop. We met with the Ain Center a second time about a month later where they presented an introduction to basic entrepreneurial concepts, such as customer identification and the business model canvas. In essence, they defined customer identification as “validating that you are solving a problem that exists in order to ensure that you’re creating a solution the customers want.” Their explanation of customer identification is very similar to our human practices work, so we were fortunately already well on track in identifying our target consumers. They walked us through the nine sections of a business model canvas and helped us brainstorm ideas to put in each section. The Ain Center also provided advice on how to properly ask questions to potential customers in order to get honest, useful feedback. Their primary piece of feedback was to ask open-ended questions and to be open to negative constructive criticism. They also advised we ask people we have no prior relationship with to avoid bias. Finally, they helped us craft our value proposition statement. After a short workshop, our value proposition statement became “We help maple farmers reduce waste and production costs that will help them save money and product and create a new revenue stream using our novel, cost-effective solutions.”
Our meetings with the Ain Center gave us an informative introduction to the kind of questions we need to ask ourselves as we consider the product development phase of our project. They showed us how to construct a business model canvas, which will help us concisely summarize the business plan of our products. Finally, we constructed our value proposition statement, which will help us concisely communicate our project goals to customers.
Strella Biotech
Figure 10. Photograph of Saptasense team members Carly and Mackenzie meeting with Katya Sizov, founder and CEO of Strella Biotech At a Glance
Establishing an initial small sample size is helpful when introducing a novel product to the market
It is crucial to find an “early champion” to support your business
The food industry does not have much complicated bureaucracy, but it is an old industry so sometimes there is resistance when introducing new techniques
We spoke with Katya Sizov in order to learn more about product implementation. Katya is the CEO of Strella Biotech, a company she helped start as an undergraduate. Currently, Strella focuses on creating solutions to minimize food waste, which is a very similar end goal to our project. Katya reiterated several ideas we had learned from the Ain Center, such as that customer identification followed by small-scale implementation are typical first steps when starting a business. Katya also recommended that we reach out to professors and industry professionals and participate in entrepreneurship competitions to get people to support our project. She advised that sometimes the product is influenced by the person or company funding it, so we should be prepared to potentially modify our products. When asked about building a customer base, she recommended we find an “early champion” who will support our team and help take our project to the next level. Finally, she noted that their company is constantly changing in response to customer feedback. We should therefore be amenable to the desires and qualifications of stakeholders and consumers in order to deliver the most useful product possible.
Katya’s experience is similar to ours, so she is an extremely valuable contact to have. Some of her recommendations, such as reaching out to industry professionals, had already been done by the team so it was reassuring to know we were on the right track. Her suggestion of finding an “early champion” will factor into our business plan as we prepare to introduce our products to the market. Finally, her admission that companies are in constant flux depending on funding and consumer needs reminded us to be adaptable in the final stages of product development.
Merle Maple End-User Testing
Figure 11. Left: Photograph of the Saptameter prototype. Right: Photograph of Saptasense team member Sudarshan showing the circuitry of the Saptameter prototype to Eileen, Dottie, and Lyle from Merle Maple. At a Glance
The most useful output value would be the invert sugar percentage in the sample
There are many accessible ways that sugarmakers can apply the syrup to the test strip, including using an eyedropper, using one’s finger, and dipping the test strip directly in the syrup
Maximal thermostability of the glucose oxidase would increase the efficiency of the process of testing invert sugar levels
The device should be contained in protective plastic and should not require an external computer
The test strips should be able to be stored for at least a year
After we developed a low-fidelity prototype for our Saptameter, we met with Lyle, Dottie, and Eileen from Merle Maple for feedback on our prototype. We asked them what format they would like the output to be delivered in, and they said that it would be most accessible to directly display the percent invert sugar. They raised concerns about how they would have to apply the syrup to the sensor. In response, we brainstormed several ways that sugarmakers could feasibly coat the test strip using equipment they already owned. Our three most promising methods included using an eyedropper to draw up syrup, dipping the strip directly in the syrup, and dipping one’s clean finger in the syrup and gently pressing it to the strip. The Merle Maple team also inquired about the thermostability of our test strips. They explained that they ideally want to test the syrup soon after it comes out of the evaporator. Unfortunately, the syrup is over 200 degrees Celsius at this point, so our enzymes would likely not be functional at such a high temperature. However, we mentioned that we were working to develop glucose oxidase with as high thermal tolerance as possible (see the “Invert Sugar” page for more information). They also requested that the device be self-contained and not require a computer for power. They suggested that we ensure our test strips last for more than a year to make buying strips easier. Finally, they suggested that we look into the potato industry because they also need to know precise glucose levels in order to determine when to harvest their crops.
The Merle Maple team gave us a significant amount of helpful feedback to help us refine our prototype. Their concerns provided us with several avenues to consider, such as syrup application methods and test strip shelf life. The meeting also confirmed the fact that our device should eventually be able to operate on its own without need of a computer, particularly to reduce the risk of spilling syrup on the sugarmaker’s computer. Their assertion that programming the device to directly output the percent invert sugar would greatly increase the market was valuable as we consider what output would be most useful for the sugarmakers. Finally, their suggestion that the potato industry may have use for our glucometer opens the market for our devices even wider. However, the one limitation to this meeting was that we had already established a relationship with the Merle Maple team. As the Ain Center noted, the best way to get honest feedback is to speak with someone we had not met before. As a result, we sought out a new sugarmaker: Gordon Putman of Whispering Brook Maple (see below).
Whispering Brook End-User Testing
Figure 12. Photograph of sugarmaker Gordon Putman testing the Saptameter prototype, aided by Saptasense team member Sudarshan. At a Glance
Larger producers may have multiple forests in different climate regions, causing uncertainty in when bud break will occur
Larger producers would indeed find use for our buddy sap sensor and bud break predicting model
Use of our glucometer is independent on size and instead depends on whether the sugarmaker makes ancillary products
Gordon Putman is the owner of Whispering Brook Farms, a maple farm with over 25 square miles of trees. We approached Gordon to get honest feedback on our working prototype from someone with no prior knowledge of our project. Gordon focuses on producing bulk syrup rather than making ancillary products, so he would have more use for our buddy sap sensor than our glucometer. Gordon mentioned that due to the large size of his forest, some of his maple trees are in different climate regions than others. This means that there is significant variability in when his trees begin to bud. Therefore both our buddy sap sensor and our bud break predicting model would greatly benefit his operations. Gordon also gave us specific feedback on our Saptameter. He echoed the Merle team’s desire to have the device be standalone so to not require the use of a computer in the sugarhouse.
Gordon Putman is by far the largest maple producer we spoke with, and his comments on finding the buddy sap detector most useful align with our predictions that large producers would greatly benefit from this aspect of our project. As with other producers, the usefulness of our glucometer directly depends on whether they make ancillary products out of their maple syrup. Gordon’s feedback on our prototype was also useful for developing the next generation of the Saptameter, which will be standalone with its own screen and battery. Gordon also mentioned that a major selling point is the fact that one device can measure several different metrics, which can be very economical for producers. This feedback confirmed that our goal of providing a low-cost biosensor for the maple industry is successful.
Land Acknowledgement
Introduction
One way that Team Saptasense is promoting awareness and respect for all facets of the maple industry is by educating ourselves on the history of sugarmaking in addition to the culture of the Indigenous people who originated and continue to practice sugaring to this day. Our home university operates on the stolen land of the Seneca. As a result, we felt that it was appropriate to acknowledge the Indigenous people who have indirectly contributed to our project.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that the University of Rochester lies on the colonized ancestral lands of the Seneca Nation. The Seneca people are known as the Onödowá’ga:’, meaning “Great Hill People,” in their native language. The Seneca are also called the “Keepers of the Western Door,” as they are the westernmost of the six nations that comprise the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Today, the Seneca Nation continues to practice their cultural traditions through song, art, dance, sports, and language preservation9.
To learn more about the Seneca, the team visited the Seneca Art and Culture Center where we saw artifacts from Seneca history, toured a traditional longhouse, and learned about the history of the Seneca people’s interactions with other members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and with European colonizers. For more information about the Seneca Nation, please visit their website. You can also follow them on Twitter @TheSenecaNation or on Facebook @senecamedia.
We also thank the Indigenous Americans who were the first to discover how to tap trees for the collection of maple sap. We acknowledge that while not all Indigenous Americans partook in sugarmaking, many have been doing so for thousands of years and continue the practice to this day. To learn more about the sugaring traditions of one such community, the Abenaki, we recommend reading a short historical brief that is available for free online entitled “Maple Sugaring Among the Abenaki and Wabanaki Peoples” by Brian Chenevert10.
What is a land acknowledgement, and why is it important?
The historical intersection between indigenous people and foreign colonizers is fraught with violence, oppression, and systematic displacement. While most people today did not play a direct role in these injustices, many are still tangentially complicit due to our use of the stolen lands on which we build our livelihoods. Additionally, many continue to perpetuate the myth that colonialism was a thing of the past, and that it involved nothing more than “stealing some land.” In actuality, the effects of colonialism are still experienced by indigenous people through institutionalized racism and the continued occupancy of native lands by non-indigenous settlers. The purpose of a land acknowledgement is to combat these misconceptions by acknowledging one’s role in colonialism and educating our community on the vibrant culture of the original stewards of the land. We are unfortunately powerless to undo the atrocities of the past. We can however still do our part in rectifying these historical injustices by educating ourselves and our community on the history and culture of the traditional caretakers of the land we live on.
To the best of our knowledge, we are the first iGEM team to include a land acknowledgement on our website. However, we are one of many iGEM teams who operate on stolen land. We implore any iGEM team in a similar situation to set aside time to learn about the people on whose land they are working, and to reflect on their role in the ongoing process of colonialism.
Resources for writing a land acknowledgement
Native Land Digital. Native Land Digital, 2021.
“Honor Native Land: A Guide and Call to Acknowledgement.” U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, 2017.
“A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement.” Native Governance Center, 22 October 2019.
Concluding Remarks
Nearly every aspect of our project was shaped by community input and careful considerations of how our project would impact the world. Perhaps most significantly, our meetings with sugarmakers also revealed an underlying problem that has not ever been addressed in scientific literature: accurately measuring invert sugar levels in maple syrup using equipment available to the average sugarmaker. The apparent lack of a solution to this issue inspired the team to design a glucometer that is accessible to sugarmakers of all sizes and backgrounds. The sugaring community is large and diverse, and our conversations with Amish and Indigenous peoples emphasized the importance of respecting all sugaring techniques. These meetings also asserted that our audience for product development will primarily be sugarmakers using modern technology rather than traditional methods, and that we should not force our products into parts of the industry that would be uncomfortable using our technology. As we met with sugarmakers and maple researchers, we learned about the maple industry as a whole in addition to certain specifications that elucidated the market for all of our products. Ultimately, we concluded that the primary consumers for our buddy sap detector would be commercial sugarmakers who tap too many trees to identify buddy sap by eye. Our ropy syrup repurposing program would likely have a similar market consisting of commercial producers intending to maximize the profit they can make from their syrup. Any sugarmaker who makes maple confectionary products would find use for our glucometer. Our later meetings with sugarmakers allowed us to fine-tune the details of our Saptameter. One example of our changes we made in response to this feedback was changing the output of our glucometer to display the invert sugar concentration in percent invert sugar rather than in molarity because the former is more useful for sugarmakers. These specifications will make our biosensors maximally conducive for the sugaring environment. Finally, we considered the ways in which our project would impact both our local sugarmakers and the world at large. The effect on the sugarmakers is primarily economical. Our ropy syrup repurposing protocol will allow sugarmakers to earn a profit from unsellable syrup, and our buddy sap detector and glucometer will both reduce the energy costs put into the futile production of unsellable products. The benefits to the sugarmaker directly extend to our project’s impact on the world. All three of our project modules result in the sugarmaker producing less food waste, and the buddy sap sensor also reduces the fossil fuels burned to boil down unsellable buddy syrup. Our project will therefore reduce the pollution output of the maple industry, decreasing the maple industry’s contribution to human-catalyzed climate change. This benefit extends back to the maple industry. The sugaring season is directly dependent on seasonal temperatures, so global warming introduces additional uncertainties to the sugaring season and makes factors such as bud break more difficult to predict. Many of the sugarmakers we met with noted that the sugaring season is becoming increasingly irregular. This anecdotal evidence is supported by a 2019 survey that concluded that almost two thirds of sugarmakers have experienced climate-linked variability in their sugaring seasons in recent years8. Our project’s contribution to the limitation of fossil fuel pollution thus helps lessen the impact of climate change on the sugaring season. Additionally, when devising our project, we decided against any methodologies that would involve releasing genetically-modified bacteria into the environment due to the possibility of our bacteria mutating into hazardous strains.
"One of the challenges we face as an industry is climate change…The challenge we are having now is that the weather gets too warm at points during the season, which makes the tap holes dry up, which fouls the collection system with microbes, and then we get a shorter season and we get lower quality sap"
In summary, we devised a series of products that will lessen the maple industry’s fossil fuel output while simultaneously maximizing sugarmaker profits. Our products were developed in tandem with expert advice from maple researchers and sugarmakers of all sizes and backgrounds in order to ensure that we are representing the entire industry.
References
“Why Canada has a Strategic Reserve of Maple Syrup (Whose Barrel is Worth 20 Times More than One of Oil. Market Research Telecast, 2 December 2021.
Maple Syrup Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Source (Red Maple, Black Maple, Sugar Maple), By Distribution Channel (Offline, Online), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2028. Grand View Research.
“New York Ranked Second in 2021 Maple Syrup Production.” United States Department of Agriculture, 11 June 2021.
“United States Standards for Grades of Maple Syrup.” United States Department of Agriculture. 2 March 2015.
de Medeiros Dantas, Julia Maria, et al. "Bioethanol Production as an Alternative End for Maple Syrups with Flavor Defects." Fermentation 8.2 (2022): 58.
“Our Industry.” NYS Maple Producers Association, 2017.
Hill, Asley. “What Is Invert Sugar? Know the Facts.” Healthline, 2021.
Legault, S., et al. “Perceptions of US and Canadian maple syrup producers toward climate change, its impacts, and potential adaptation measures.” Plos one, 14.4 (2019): e0215511.
“History.” Seneca Nation of Indians, 2022.
Chenevert, Brian. “Maple Sugaring Among the Abenaki and Wabanaki Peoples.” Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, 3 March 2021.
