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Should maple syrup be stored in the refrigerator?

I have pure maple syrup and it has only been opened for maybe 5 days or so. I do keep it in the fridge but the other day I was distracted after breakfast and forgot to put it back in the fridge. It sat out for about 7 hours before going back in the fridge. Is it still safe to eat?

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    You didn't ask this in exactly the same way as the duplicate I proposed, but the top answer there definitely answers your question - it's best in the long term to store it in the fridge, but doesn't actually have to be, so 7 hours is perfectly fine.
    – Cascabel ♦
    Commented Jan 26, 2013 at 17:03
  • I did check that thread. It is not the same question, therefore not a duplicate. Some maple syrups say they must be stored in the fridge, so do not. Mine does. I wasn't sure if there was a difference or not.
    – user15453
    Commented Jan 28, 2013 at 3:52
  • There's more than one way to ask a question; five of us agree it's a duplicate. Doesn't really matter whether a particular bottle says it needs refrigeration.
    – Cascabel ♦
    Commented Jan 28, 2013 at 5:03

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Your syrup is perfectly safe. People will argue about whether it's necessary to store maple syrup in the refrigerator in general. Regardless of your feelings about that, it's a fact that many people don't refrigerate it at all, ever, with no discernible ill effect. Certainly, 7 hours or even 7 days at room temperature will do you no harm at all. Maple syrup has a fairly low concentration of water, so few organisms are able to grow in or on it. And those that do grow very slowly.

Enjoy your syrup.

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  • The reason I ask is because it says on the bottle to store in the fridge after opening. Some maple syrups do not say to store in the fridge.
    – user15453
    Commented Jan 28, 2013 at 3:47
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    @user15453 That's just because of the argument Caleb mentioned. None of it needs refrigeration in the short term, and it all lasts longer on the long term if it is refrigerated.
    – Cascabel ♦
    Commented Jan 28, 2013 at 5:03
  • @user15453 In order to legally be called maple syrup, the product has to have a certain minimum concentration of sugar, and that's enough to prevent the growth of most pathogens.
    – Caleb
    Commented Jan 29, 2013 at 13:39
  • and that % is 66.6
    – Caters
    Commented Jun 28, 2014 at 4:34
  • We store maple syrup on the shelf for months, and it only very rarely gets moldy.
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Mar 2, 2022 at 13:30

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