Birch sap is colourless or slightly opalescent and is traditionally drunk in spring. Currently, birch sap is becoming more important in the market sector as well as to pharmacy companies due to its biochemical composition and use in a wide variety of products. To extract good quality sap using birch resources in a sustainable way, there is a need to investigate the influence of the dendrometric parameters of birch trees and soil properties on the quantity and chemical composition of birch sap. This study is performed in five silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) forest stands growing in Histosol, Luvisol and Arenosol with different moisture and nutrient contents. The results indicated that the most productive silver birch trees for sap harvesting were taller than 28 m, had a diameter at breast height over 40 cm and a crown base height greater than 19 m. Additionally, the highest quantity of birch sap was harvested from trees growing in well-aerated mineral soils (Arenosol and Luvisol) with normal moisture content. However, the sweetest birch sap was harvested from trees growing in nutrient-rich organic (undrained peatland Histosol) and temporarily flooded mineral (Luvisol) soils.
Studies have shown that ozone is a good oxidizer and a strong disinfectant. There are many uses for ozone in the food industry, but there is relatively little information about the influence of ozone on biochemical composition and the capacity to reduce the number of microorganisms in birch sap. In this study, sap was ozonated at different intervals for 5 min (O3: 0.087 ± 0.009 mg L−1), 10 min, 15 min, 20 min, 25 min, or 30 min (O3: 0.99 ± 0.09 mg L−1). The parameters of the birch sap were studied immediately after the ozone treatment as well as during storage for seven days at 2 °C and for five days at 20 °C. The parameters of ozonated birch sap were compared with the parameters of fresh sap (control). The microbiological analysis included total bacterial count, lactic acid bacterial count, and yeast and mold count. Birch sap color, pH, titratable acidity, and ºBrix values were also determined. Evaluation of monosaccharides, sucrose, total sugars, and ascorbic acid was carried out in fresh sap as well as sap ozonated for 30 min, immediately after ozonation. The results show the statistical significance of the inactivation of microorganisms after treatment in most cases. The microorganism counts gradually reduced with increasing intervals of ozone treatment. The best results were obtained after 25 and 30 min of ozonation. Ozone treatment did not significantly influence the pH, titratable acidity, or °Brix statistically. Values of monosaccharides, sucrose, total sugars, and ascorbic acid were influenced within the margin of error. Ozone had a significant influence on the chroma and hue angle.
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