Molasses

Molasses or treacle is a thick syrup derivative of the juice of the sugarcane plant or the processing of sugar beet. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese word melaço. The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or beet, the amount of sugar extracted, and the method of extraction.

Cane molasses

Sulphured molasses is made from green (not yellow) sugar cane and is treated with sulphur fumes during the sugar extraction process.

Each season, the sugar cane plant is harvested and stripped of its leaves. Its juice is then extracted from the canes (usually by crushing or mashing), boiled until it has reached the appropriate consistency, and processed to extract the sugar. The results of this first boiling and processing is first molasses, which has the highest sugar content because comparatively little sugar has been extracted from the juice.

Second molasses is created from a second boiling and sugar extraction, and has a slight bitter tinge to its taste. Further rounds of processing and boiling yield the dark blackstrap molasses, which is the most nutritionally valuable, and thus often sold as a health supplement, as well as being used in the manufacture of cattle feed, and for other industrial uses.

Blackstrap molasses

Blackstrap molasses is the dark liquid byproduct of the process of refining sugar cane into table sugar. It is made from the third boiling of the sugar syrup and is the concentrated byproduct left over after the majority of sucrose has been crystallized. Unlike refined sugars, blackstrap molasses contains significant amounts vitamins and minerals. Blackstrap molasses is a source of calcium, magnesium, and iron. One tablespoon provides up to 20 percent of the daily value of each of those essential nutrients,"Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Blackstrap Molasses", NutritionData.com"Blackstrap Molasses" at World's Healthiest Foods.

Sugar beet molasses

Molasses from the sugar beet is different from cane molasses. Only the syrup left from the final crystallisation stage is called molasses; intermediate syrups are referred to as high green and low green and these are recycled within the crystallisation plant to maximise extraction. Beet molasses is about 50% sugar by dry weight, predominantly sucrose but also containing significant amounts of glucose and fructose. The non-sugar content includes many salts such as calcium, potassium, oxalate and chloride. As such, it is unpalatable and is mainly used as an additive to animal feed or as a fermentation feedstock.

It is possible to extract additional sugar from beet molasses through a process known as molasses desugarisation. This technique exploits industrial scale chromatography to separate sucrose from non sugar components. The technique is only economically viable in areas where the price of sugar is supported above the world market—e.g., in areas with trade barriers. It is prevalent within the European Union and other parts of Europe.

Substitutes

Cane molasses is a common ingredient in baking, often used in baked goods such as gingerbread cookies. There are a number of substitions that can be made for molasses; for a cup of molasses the following may be used 1 cup honey or 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar, or 1 cup dark corn syrup or 1 cup pure maple syrup.

Notes

Molasses is a chelating agent. An object coated with iron rust placed for two weeks in a mixture of one part molasses to nine parts water will lose its rust due to the chelating action of the molasses.
A famous incident involving molasses was the Boston Molasses Disaster on January 15 1919, in which a large molasses storage tank burst and flooded a neighborhood of Boston, killing 21 and injuring 150.
The British pudding Treacle Tart does not use any treacle but golden syrup.
Molasses can be fermented into rum.
Molasses can be used as carbon source for in situ remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons. See biostimulation.
Molasses is an Australian rock band from Melbourne.
Molasses can be used as the fuel in ANFO, though the practice is largely discontinued.

References

Sweeteners

Melasse | Melasse | Melaso