Molasses

Molasses is a honey-like dark brown sugar syrup that is a by- product in the production of sugar from sugar cane, sugar beet and also from sweet sorghum. Molasses contains approximately 60% sugar (sucrose or raffinose ) or organic acids, betaine, vitamins, and about 3 % of inorganic salts. The sugar can not be crystallized.

Molasses should not be confused with sugar syrup, which is obtained by boiling sugar beet. The sugar in the sugar factory may be separated from molasses by chromatography. For technical reasons the molasses must be softened to with ion exchangers. Traditionally, this method is not used in Germany, but in the United States, as in France or Austria not rare.

Etymology

The word molasses was borrowed via French ( mélasse ) and / or Spanish ( Melaza ) into German and is probably about late Latin mellacium " thickened wine, cider syrup " ultimately to the Latin mel " honey " back.

The use of molasses

Most of the molasses is used in agriculture as a direct feed as well as a pellet binder for feed pellets for cattle. In addition, it is used as a sugary syrup in many ways in the field of food industry and is an important fermentation raw material in the field of biotechnology dar. In Germany about 780,000 tonnes of molasses were used, for example in the marketing year 2006/ 07, of which 530,000 tonnes for animal feed. In the yeast production about 65,000 tons were used and almost 10,000 tonnes went to alcohol distilleries, and the remaining 170,000 t used any other user.

In the fermentation industry is molasses in addition to sugar beet juice is the cheapest source of carbohydrate represents the fermentation by yeast is present in addition to the production of bioethanol as biofuel, the main use for molasses. Drinking alcohol based on molasses is used mainly in rum, vodka and whiskey Indian. In addition, pure alcohol for industry and medicine from molasses is produced. Other fermentation products are glutamic acid as a precursor in the production of monosodium glutamate, citric acid (see JBL ) and some other products. The residual product of molasses fermentation creates the vinasse, which can be used for protein enrichment in feed or as fertilizer.

In the pharmaceutical industry molasses as the nutrient medium for microorganisms for the production of antibiotics (for example amylases ) are used (e.g., penicillin ), and in the biotechnology industry for the production of enzymes.

As a food, pure molasses is usually available in health food stores and natural food stores. It can be used as a spread or in baking and has a licorice-like taste. To drink, you can dissolve some molasses in hot water and a dash of lemon juice.