What is molasses?
Blackstrap Molasses in English - sugarcane molasses, or simply molasses - is a beautiful black thick liquid, sweet in taste, slightly bitter, edible, concentrated and left over from the process. Sugar is extracted by crystallization and concentration methods. Molasses is a by-product of industrial enterprises processing sugar from raw materials such as sugar cane, radish, etc. The quality of this type of molasses depends on the maturity of the raw materials of sugar processing, such as radish, sugar cane; It also depends on the amount of sugar extracted, as well as on the type of sugar extraction method.
Nutritional and chemical composition of molasses
The chemical composition of molasses is mainly divided into 3 main groups: sugars, minerals and organic substances that do not contain sugar. Molasses does not contain fiber and fat, but it does contain protein, but in insignificant proportions. In addition, molasses contains a very large amount of carbon - from 40 to 50%.
1. Sugar
Depending on the type of raw material used to extract sugar, the nutritional composition of molasses will vary. However, sugar is the main and most important food ingredient. Sugar is divided into two types: single sugar and double sugar. The following sugars are: sucrose, glucose and fructose.
2. Minerals
Molasses contain many minerals. When compared to other energy-rich food sources such as cereals, the amount of calcium in molasses obtained from sugarcane raw materials is quite high (up to 1%), while the P content is low. Molasses made from sugarcane raw materials is rich in K, Mg, Na and S. In addition, molasses also contains significant amounts of other metallic elements such as Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn.
3. Sugar-Free Organics
Molasses are composed of non-sugar organic substances, including carbohydrates such as starch, N-containing compounds and organic acids. In general, the organic content of this type of molasses is higher in sugar beet molasses than in cane molasses. Molasses does not contain fiber or lipids. The protein content of molasses is negligible (only 3-5%). Sugar cane molasses also contains a significant amount of organic acids, mainly acotinic acid. In addition, molasses also contains some volatile fatty acids, an average of about 1.3%.
Molasses Applications
Depending on the different needs and applications, molasses is used in different proportions and ways. In the near future, we will publish an article detailing the common uses of molasses in livestock and wastewater treatment systems. Wait and see later.
List of Major Molasses Applications
• Molasses is used as a fermentation ingredient in rum production.
• Molasses is used in beer production.
• Use molasses to flavor tobacco.
• Molasses is used as an iron supplement for patients who are intolerant to the mineral in iron supplements.
• Use molasses in fermentation to create products such as yeast, amino acids, and citric acid.
• is a cheap source of raw material in animal feed processing.
• Mix molasses with glue for use in the printing industry.
• Used in agriculture, it effectively enriches the soil with nutrients, increasing the biological activity of the soil.
• Use molasses in hydroponics to provide nutrients to plants.
• Molasses is used as a food source in microbial cultures, composting,...
• It is clearly effective in industrial wastewater treatment systems and aquatic wastewater, especially in the treatment of shrimp pond wastewater.
Today, widely used in many industries, molasses is used in agriculture (organic composting, microbial farming), industry and the environment, especially in wastewater treatment systems and in animal husbandry (as an additive in animal feed). In short, although molasses is just a by-product, it can be used and bring many benefits in many different areas. With its cheap raw materials, easy to use and store, in this article, we will partially provide the necessary information about this product line to customers in need.
