High Brix vacuum evaporation concentration process and system and concentrated product

A system for concentrating a maple sap or sweet vegetal water solution, comprising:

• a) a tank for collecting the maple sap or sweet vegetal water solution at temperature T1, wherein T1 is between 4° C. and 10° C.;
• b) an optional ultrafiltration unit for filtering the maple sap or sweet vegetal water solution to produce a filtered solution;
• c) a reverse osmosis concentrator for concentrating the maple sap or sweet vegetal water solution or the filtered solution to produce a high Brix solution of about 15 to about 40 Brix;
• d) a first heating means for heating the high Brix solution of about 15 to about 40 Brix to temperature T2, wherein T2 is between 40° C. and 85° C.;
• and
• e) a vacuum evaporator for evaporating the high Brix solution at temperature T3 to produce a high Brix concentrated product of about 60 to about 70 Brix, wherein T3 is between 55° C. and 80° C., and wherein the high Brix concentrated product is essentially free of Maillard reactions or wherein a very low amount of Maillard reactions have occurred.