Molasses

Thick reed molasses

Molasses ( black molasses , FR. Mélasse ) - feed molasses , a by-product of sugar production; dark brown syrupy liquid with a specific odor.

In the USA and Canada, cane molasses is used as a syrup in cooking and is quite popular in this quality. This is one of the few sweeteners rich in trace elements and vitamins ^[1] . Vegans value black cane molasses ( blackstrap , the third ovark when processing cane juice, a thick, bitter-sweet liquid of black color) as a plant source of calcium ^[1] .

In Europe and Russia, molasses is mainly a waste of sugar beet processing and has an unpleasant taste and smell, making it inedible to humans. In this regard, it is usually used in feeding farm animals, being a valuable carbohydrate feed containing up to 60% of residual carbohydrates. It consists of 20–25% water, about 9% nitrogen compounds (mainly amides ), and 58–60% residual carbohydrates are mainly sucrose and raffinose . In addition, beet molasses contains up to 7–10% ash. A good way to flake coarse and concentrated feeds. With the addition of molasses, many compound feeds are prepared. When granulating feed, it is used as a binding ingredient. It has also been used for some time as a binding agent in the production of granular soot (carbon black).

It is a valuable raw material for biotechnological industries. From molasses by fermentation it is obtained: during anaerobic fermentation - ethyl alcohol , lactic , butyric , propionic and other acids; with aerobic fermentation - gluconic , citric , fumaric , oxalic and acetic acids.

Molasses is used for the production of low-quality moonshine (malaysovka, “pastry” moonshine) and, along with rice, is the raw material for the manufacture of “Thai whiskey” ( Hong Thong ).

Cane molasses, with good taste, is used for the manufacture of rum , as well as in brewing , currently most often craft - it can be used in the preparation of stouts , porters , historical ales . Known recipe for beer with molasses, made by George Washington in his notebook in 1754 ^[2] .

Also molasses is used when kneading bait for fishing. Molasses has a specific odor that is attractive to fish. Adds the viscosity of the bait mixture, slightly darkens it. Contains ash, which speeds up metabolism. Due to its high content of betaine , amino acids and sugar, it stimulates appetite in fish. It is mainly used when fishing for carp, bream, crucian carp and roach, both in stagnant water and in the stream.