Listing description
Molasses, or black treacle (British, for human consumption; known
as molasses otherwise), is a viscous by-product of refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar.
Detailed description
Molasses varies by amount of sugar, method of extraction, and
age of plant. Molasses is primarily used for sweetening and flavoring foods. It
is a defining component of fine commercial brown
sugar.
Sweet sorghum syrup
may be colloquially called "sorghum molasses" in the southern United
States. Similar products include treacle, honey, maple
syrup, corn
syrup, and invert syrup. Most of these alternative syrups have milder flavors.
Cane molasses
Cane molasses is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.
To make molasses, sugar cane is harvested and stripped of
leaves. Its juice is extracted usually by cutting, crushing, or mashing. The
juice is boiled to concentrate it, promoting sugar crystallization. The
result of this first boiling is called "first syrup", and it has the
highest sugar content. First syrup is usually referred to in the Southern states of the
U.S. as "cane syrup", as opposed to molasses. "Second
molasses" is created from a second boiling and sugar extraction, and has a
slight bitter taste.
Blackstrap molasses
The third boiling of the sugar syrup yields dark, viscous blackstrap molasses, known for its robust
flavor.[8] The majority of sucrose from the original juice has been
crystallized and removed. The calorific content of blackstrap molasses is
mostly due to the small remaining sugar content.[9][10] Unlike highly refined sugars, it contains
significant amounts of vitamin B6 and minerals,
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.[11] Blackstrap molasses has long been sold as a dietary supplement.
Blackstrap molasses is significantly more bitter than
"regular" molasses. It is sometimes used in baking or for producing ethanol, as an
ingredient in cattle
feed, and as fertilizer.
The term "black-strap" or "blackstrap"
is an Americanism dating from 1875 or before. Its first known use is in a book by
detective Allan
Pinkerton in
1877.
The exaggerated health benefits sometimes claimed for blackstrap
molasses were the topic of a 1951 novelty
song, Black Strap Molasses,
recorded by Groucho Marx, Jimmy
Durante, Jane
Wyman, and Danny
Kaye.
Sugar beet molasses
Molasses made from sugar beets differs from sugarcane molasses.
Only the syrup left from the final crystallization stage is called molasses;
intermediate syrups are called high green and low green, and these are recycled
within the crystallization plant to maximize extraction. Beet molasses is 50%
sugar by dry weight, predominantly sucrose, but
contains significant amounts of glucose and fructose. Beet
molasses are limited in biotin (vitamin H or B7) for cell
growth; hence, it may be supplemented with a biotin source. The non-sugar
content includes many salts, such as calcium, potassium, oxalate, and chloride. It
contains betaine and
the trisaccharide raffinose. These are as a result of concentration
from the original plant material or chemicals in processing, and make it
unpalatable to humans. Hence it is mainly used as an additive to animal feed
(called "molassed sugar beet feed") or as a fermentation feedstock.
It is possible to extract additional sugar from beet molasses
through molasses desugarization. This exploits industrial-scale chromatography to separate sucrose from non-sugar
components. The technique is economically viable in trade-protected areas,
where the price of sugar is supported above market price. As such, it is
practiced in the U.S.[15] and parts of Europe. Molasses is also used
for yeast production.
Unsulphured molasses
Many kinds of molasses on the market come branded as unsulphured (using the British spelling of
sulfur). Many foods, including molasses, were treated with sulfur
dioxide as a
preservative, helping to kill off molds and bacteria. Sulfur dioxide is also
used as a bleaching agent, and helped to lighten the color of molasses. Most
brands have veered away from sulphured molasses, due to the relatively stable
natural shelf life of untreated molasses, the off flavor that can arise from
using sulfur dioxide, and the fact that sulfur dioxide in high doses can be
toxic.
Other forms
In Middle Eastern cuisine, molasses is produced from carob,
grapes, dates, pomegranates, and mulberries. In
Nepal it is called chaku[17] (Nepal
Bhasa: चाकु) and used in the preparation of Newari condiments
such as yomari.
Other uses
Food products and additives
·
In some cookies and pies
·
In barbecue sauces
·
As a humectant in
jerky processing
·
An iron supplement
·
An additive in livestock feeds
·
An ingredient in fishing groundbait
·
A source for yeast production
·
An additive in tobacco smoked in a hookah, shisha, or narghile (found in the brands The King, Al
Fakher Tobacco, Cedars Tobacco, Mazaya, Nakhla, Tangiers, Salloum, and
Hookafina Blak)
Chemical
·
Blended with magnesium chloride and used for de-icing
Industrial
·
Mixed with glue to case ink rollers on early printing presses
Horticultural
·
As a soil additive to promote microbial activity
Important minerals
·
Calcium: 400 mg (50% RDA)
·
Iron: 13 mg (95% RDA)
·
Magnesium: 300 mg (38% RDA)
Name
The word comes from the Proto-Indo-European mélid. Cognates include Ancient
Greek μέλι (méli) (honey), Latin mel,
Spanish melaza (molasses), French miel (honey), and Portuguese melaço.
PRICE
$15.16/KG OR
$6.89/IB
For more information:
mobile: +2348039721941
contact person: emeaba uche
e-mail: emeabau@yahoo.com
website: www.franchiseminerals.com
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