Maple syrup to improve gut microbiota and animal health A probiotic made from maple syrup with flavor defects could theoretically enrich the gut microbiota of farm animals, improve their resistance to disease and reduce the need for antibiotics18 June 2025 18 June 2025 2 minute read 2 minute read By: By: Laval University North AmericaAbout 2% of the approximately 200 million pounds of maple syrup produced each year in Quebec, Canada suffer from a flavor defect that destines it to be used as an ingredient in processed products rather than to be consumed plain. A team from Laval University and the University of Sherbrooke proposes using part of this syrup to produce a probiotic which could replace antibiotics in animal breeding. “Maple syrup produced at the end of the season has the most flavor defects, including bud-like flavor and stringy syrup. In addition, a technical-economic study should shed light on the economic feasibility of using processed maple syrup for the production of a probiotic supplement intended for animal feed,” concludes Professor Filteau. The signatories of the study published in the journal Fermentation are Gautier Decabooter, Marie Filteau and Ismail Fliss, from Laval University, and Mariem Theiri and Denis Groleau, from the University of Sherbrooke.