Molasses ()[The Codex Alimentarius Commission. (2009; 2010). Codex Alimentarius – 212.1 Scope and Description. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.]
Molasses is rich in and minerals, including vitamin B6, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. There are different types of molasses depending on the amount of time refined, including first molasses (highest sugar content), second molasses (slightly bitter), and blackstrap molasses (the darkest and most robust in flavor). Molasses was historically popular in the Americas before the 20th century as a sweetener. It is still commonly used in traditional cuisine, such as in Madeira Island's traditional dishes.
In addition to culinary uses, molasses has industrial applications, such as in the distillation of rum,
Etymology
The word molasses comes from melaço in Portuguese,
a derivative (intensifier) of
mel (honey)
[“ melaço ” Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa][“ O uso de s, ss, c ou ç ” Ciberdúvidas] with Latinate roots.
include
Ancient Greek μέλι () (
honey),
Latin mel,
Spanish language melaza (molasses), Romanian
miere or
melasă, and
French language mélasse (molasses).
Blackstrap is derived from the Dutch word for
syrup,
stroop.
Sugar cane molasses
Sugar cane molasses is an ingredient used in baking and cooking.
It was popular in the Americas before the 20th century, when it was plentiful and commonly used as a sweetener in foods
and an ingredient in brewing beer in the colonies. George Washington had a notebook that contains a molasses beer recipe.
To produce molasses, sugar cane is harvested and stripped of leaves. Its juice is then extracted, usually by cutting, crushing, or mashing. The juice is boiled to produce a concentrate and encourage sugar crystallization. The result of this first boiling is called first syrup ('A' Molasses) and has the highest sugar content. First syrup is usually referred to in the Southern United States as cane syrup rather than molasses. Second molasses ('B' Molasses) is produced by a second boiling and sugar extraction and has a slightly bitter taste.
Boiling the sugar syrup a third time yields dark, viscosity blackstrap molasses ( 'C' Molasses), known for its robust flavour. During this process, the majority of sucrose from the original juice is crystallized and removed. The bitterness of blackstrap molasses is much greater than in the regular form of molasses.
Unlike highly refined sugars, molasses contains significant amounts of vitamin B6 and , including calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the recommended daily value of each of those nutrients. Blackstrap is also a good source of potassium.
Madeira Island
On
Madeira, cane molasses is an important constituent of the traditional cuisine, where it is known as
mel-de-cana (Portuguese for "(sugar)cane honey").
Its origin in Madeira dates back to the golden age of sugar production in the archipelago.
Clive Ponting (2025). 070116834X, Chatto & Windus. 070116834X
Sugar beet molasses
Beet molasses is 50% sugar by dry weight, predominantly
sucrose, but contains significant amounts of
glucose and
fructose. Beet molasses is limited in
biotin (vitamin H or B
7) for cell growth and therefore may be supplemented with a biotin source. The non-sugar content includes many salts, such as
calcium,
potassium,
magnesium,
oxalate, and
chloride. It also contains sulfur,
trimethylglycine, and the trisaccharide
raffinose. These result from the concentration of the original plant material or other chemicals in processing and are unpalatable to humans. It is therefore mainly used as an animal feed additive (known as
molassed sugar beet feed) or a fermentation feedstock. In animal feed, it provides energy and minerals, increases palatability, and reduces dust.
Other types
Sweet sorghum syrup is colloquially called
sorghum molasses in the southern United States.
Pomegranate molasses is a traditional ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking. It is made by simmering a mixture of pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice, and reducing the mixture for about an hour until the consistency of syrup is achieved.
Unsulfured molasses
Many types of molasses on the market are branded
unsulfured. In the past, many foods, including molasses, were treated with a
sulfur dioxide preservative, helping to kill off moulds and bacteria. Sulfur dioxide is also used as a bleaching agent to help lighten the colour of molasses. Most brands have abandoned the use of sulfur dioxide in molasses, because untreated molasses already has a stable shelf life. Poor flavour and the trace toxicity of low doses of sulfur dioxide also led to its removal.
Cooking
During cooking, the presence of molasses increases the
hygroscopicity of surrounding ingredients, and through the Maillard reaction, it often turns brown. These effects are the result of relatively high levels of
Amino acid, invert sugar and minerals.
Nutrition
Molasses is composed of 22% water, 75%
carbohydrates, and very small amounts (0.1%) of
fat; it contains no
protein. In a reference amount of 100 grams, molasses is a rich source (20% or more of the
Daily Value, DV) of vitamin B6 and several
dietary minerals, including
manganese,
magnesium,
iron,
potassium, and
calcium.
The sugars in molasses are on average sucrose (39% of total carbohydrates), glucose (16%), and fructose (17%) (data from USDA nutrition table).
Other uses
Food products and additives
The uses of molasses in food production may include:
-
Principal ingredient in the distillation of rum
-
Production of dark rye bread
-
Production of gingerbread (particularly in the Americas)
-
Production of
-
Some brown sugar is made by combining molasses with white sugar
-
In some beer styles of and porters
-
Stabilization of emulsifiers in home-made vinaigrette
-
Additive in mu'assel (also known as shisha), the tobacco smoked in a hookah
Industrial
-
As a minor component of mortar for brickwork
-
Mixed with gelatin glue and glycerine in casting composition ink rollers on early printing presses
Horticultural
-
As a soil additive to promote microbial activity, resulting in increased production of succinic acid, malic acid, butyric acid and mannitol. Production of these common plant defensive chemicals by microbes is believed to aid in suppressing plant disease.
See also
External links
