Stainless steel drums for maple syrup in bulk

Text by Marianne Lavoie

To conform to the new regulations, maple sugar producers have until 2020 to stock up on stainless steel drums to store their maple syrup destined for bulk sale.

At your local Groupe BMR store, you can purchase stainless steel made drums that meets the many needs of maple sugar producers and are also made according to the recommendations of the Centre ACER (Centre de recherche, de développement et de transfert technologique acéricole).

These drums were made to conserve syrup for a period of at least 12 months, be compatible with the delicious liquid, and protect it against any potential contamination.

Part of the austenitic steel family, primarily composed of chrome and nickel, these drums are regularly used in the food industry because of its corrosion resistance, mechanical properties, good weldability and antimagnetic properties. This steel preserves syrup in an adequate environment in storage.

Barrel Technical Specifications

To answer the technical specifications from the Centre ACER, the barrel was designed so that surfaces meeting the maple syrup have no crevices or corners too difficult to clean. Also, there are no metal to metal fittings that could retain dirt. The lid and bottom are welded which offer unparalleled solidity. The barrel itself is impact resistant up to 10 meters (or 6 stacked barrels high) should they fall.

Advantages of Stainless Steel Barrels

For Mr Medhi El Manar, agronomist and technical sales coordinator at Agrizone, the three advantages of stainless steel barrels are: stacking, internal and external passivation, and caps.

Stacking the drum is very simple: they fit perfectly one into the other, saving space, and edging facilitates handling. For the passivation, it’s an effective protection that prevents rust from forming at the weld sites during the fabrication. Finally, no less than two, 2 inch caps can be found at the center and the side of the lid of drum to help ease filling and cleaning. They are made of nylon, to avoid any rust buildup, and easy to handle without any tools. All joints are found on the exterior of the drum to eliminate any and all contact with the syrup.

Barrel Identification

All in-store drums have two numerical identifications: one laser and the other embossed, so tracking or returns are traceable. They are air tight and lightproof to preserve the quality of the syrup and contain no traces of lead. These barrels come in two sizes: 34 or 45 gallons (roughly 130 or 170 liters).

Barrel Maintenance

For maintenance, Medhi El Manar recommends cleaning the barrel before and after each use to preserve its durability while following guidelines. Using strong solutions that contain chlorine or bleach may strip the layer of passivation, so it’s important to be careful in choosing your products – scalding water can and does work wonders. By filling the syrup to the edge, we avoid oxygen which could create condensation or mildew in your batch.

One Last Tip

Using strong solutions that contain chlorine or bleach may strip the layer of passivation, so it’s important to be careful in choosing your products – scalding water can and does work wonders.

Find your drum today at your local BMR store!

Source : "Stainless steel drums for maple syrup in bulk" Coopérateur. January-February 2019 : page 48.