Maple Syrup Smell: NY Officials Reveal Source

New York City officials have discovered the source of a mysterious maple syrup smell that has enveloped the city (Manhattan in particular) at various times since 2005.

The culprit: a New Jersey facility that processes flavors and fragrances.

After the latest occurrence last month, officials launched a new investigation. It included mapping the time and place of all the odor complaints to the city's 311 hot line.

Experts compared those with wind and atmospheric conditions. Then they checked those against air sampling tests during the periods that New Yorkers reported smelling the odor.

New Jersey officials also helped with the case. Finally, the odor was traced to a Bergen County facility which processes fenugreek seeds.

Given the evidence, I think it's safe to say that the Great Maple Syrup Mystery has finally been solved," said Mayor Bloomberg. "I want to thank the City's environmental protection and emergency workers, as well as their colleagues in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, for their diligence in finding the source of the smell, which was a lot like finding a needle in a haystack. Air samples taken by DEP have confirmed that the odor in New York City was an ester associated with fenugreek seed processing. The Health Department confirmed that the odor does not pose a health risk, but I am pleased to know that our OEM and DEP smelling sleuths got to the bottom of this mystery."

Gothamist has a map of recent syrup smell locations. The New York Times first reported on the smell in an October 2005 article titled "Good Smell Perplexes New Yorkers."

An unseen, sweet-smelling cloud drifted through parts of Manhattan last night. Arturo Padilla walked through it and declared that it was awesome.

"It's like maple syrup. With Eggos. Or pancakes," he said. "It's pleasant."

Back in 2005, Mayor Bloomberg said a number of agencies -- the NYPD, the Office of Emergency Management and the Health Department -- had investigated the scent and found nothing toxic or terrorism-related.

Comments

[lochnessmonster]

Your tax dollars hard at work!

[cjk002]

Aww, I was hoping someone would find a giant stack of pancakes to explain the smell.

[RoseMerry]

But Will had better be careful:

"Fenugreek seeds are a galactagogue that is often used to increase milk supply in lactating women.[3] Because the maple syrup-like flavor is strong and not always liked, the seeds are ground to a powder and administered in capsules. Many lactating women who take fenugreek in the quantities required to increase their milk supply notice that their skin exudes a distinct "maple syrup" odor."

from Wikipedia

[Tulka2]

Fact: If you smell something, it means you have inhaled molecuels of whatever it is you are smelling. This is a disturbing fact that doesn't bear too much thinking about.

[BADRALDUJA]

yes your right,in the middle -east especially bedouin women,grind fenugreek to powder and add it to hot milk and drink it daily while breastfeed­ing..it is also good for stomach ailments,and we add it to many dishes and bread.
we also use it as incense to ward off the evil eyes..lool

[RoseMerry]

Will Smith voice on, "I have GOT to get me some of THESE fenugreek seeds!"

[Rickter]

I thought it was from that huge christmas tree shaped air freshner located in Cheney's underground bunker.

[randakost]

I took fenugreek to help when breastfeed­ing...and I smelled like maple syrup the whole time. Nice smell, but not something you want to smell, every day, all day...I was really glad when I could stop taking it.

[oakley9]

Fenugreek and maple syrup do not smell the same. Who are trying to kid?

[oakley9]

Probably from the chemtrails.

[Hirnlego]

Yes. Because there's obviously a conspiracy to poison EVERYONE.

[oakley9]

Not sure what you're view really is but whatever they are spraying, just about every day, above my house can't be GOOD.

[harrymellon]

They need pollution controls.

[DeanThoreau]

How much money did they waste trying to find out the reason for a good odor?
Obviously they should have realized it had to come form New Jersey.
Only thing coming out of manahatttan these days is the manure wall street is shoveling to DC

[KarateKid]

Too bad the odor didn't permeate the subway system.

[jukesgrrl]

A pleasant smell in Manhattan? You'd think just enjoy it and be grateful. Don't get me wrong, I love NYC, but it often smells terrible.

[sgk]

Ester aromas include cherry, banana, pineapple, pine tree flavor, strwaberry, pear, apple, geranium, grape, raspberry, lavender, sage, cherry, Modern root beer, wintergreen, Germolene and Ralgex ointments (UK), orange, parsnip, apricot. Maple syrup is not. The fenugreek seed is.

[Motorinstructor]

Believe me, there are a lot worse smells coming from New Jersey. Driving along the New Jersey Turnpike can be quite and experience! If you drive there, bring some clothespins along to hold your nostrils together.

[Stuart Tindall]

The company is called Frutarom. They are very nice people, and pleased to provide a fine sensory experience to New Yorkers.