Molasses is one of the by-products of sugar production. Molasses is also made from starches different cultures: corn, potatoes, wheat, rye, barley, etc.

Molasses production is complex technological process. This product can also be made at home, but it is too troublesome and unprofitable.

Sugar is artificial product, which was invented in India during the Roman Empire. That is, we can say that both sugar and molasses are far from natural honey, which people have known and used since their appearance on Earth. It is logical that they the nutritional value very much different. Probably, if natural honey were widely available, then there would be no need for sugar at all.
It must be said that the nutritional value of sugar and molasses is also different. To put it simply, sugar is considered to be of little use and even harmful to human health. But with molasses the situation is a little different. It is believed that it is even good for health, as it contains many minerals, trace elements and also B vitamins.

Where can you eat molasses?

It is used in the production of confectionery products. It is also added to dough for baking certain types of bread. Since molasses has the ability to retain moisture, bakery products They don’t go stale any longer.

Another property of molasses is low temperature freezing. Therefore, it is used in the production of ice cream. Otherwise, it would freeze so much that it would become just a sweet block of ice.

As remedy You can find information that black molasses (also called raw molasses) helps with hemorrhoids. This is explained by the fact that black molasses is rich in microelements. However, it must be taken internally. Moreover, it is claimed that for some people, consuming this raw molasses has helped solve the problem of varicose veins. However, hemorrhoids are one of the manifestations of this disease (varicose veins).

Since black molasses is rich in iron, it is recommended for those with low hemoglobin

Another pleasant bonus from using molasses is that it makes your hair grow better. Again, it’s all about the minerals and trace elements that this product is rich in. Some experts claim that hair becomes more voluminous, molasses prevents baldness, and also restores hair color.

It is also recommended to use molasses for people suffering from osteoporosis. This is due to the fact that this product contains: required quantity calcium as well as magnesium, which promotes bone growth. Thus, it is very useful for children to consume molasses.

February 14, 2013 Molasses (maltodextrin, dextrin maltose) is a product of enzymatic or incomplete acid hydrolysis of starch. Typically, corn or potato starch is used. In everyday life, molasses is often called various sugar-containing syrups. People call it artificial honey, because... both in appearance and taste they have a lot in common.

Roughly speaking, it is a semi-finished product obtained during the production of sugar and starch. The result is a semi-liquid mass, similar in consistency to young honey, but much sweeter than sugar. Molasses is used in canning and confectionery production, and also in the production of dressings.

Chemical composition of molasses: dextrin - from 0% to 70%, glucose - from 0% to 50%, maltose - from 19% to 85%. Molasses contains 78-82% dry matter. The calorie content of molasses is 316 kcal per 100 grams of viscous mass.

Since molasses is not technically a sugar, manufacturers include it in many sports products while still being able to label it "sugar-free." This carbohydrate causes a sharp rise in blood glucose, comparable to taking regular sugar, and is not inferior to it in harmfulness and ability to be deposited in fat.

Use in cooking

In cooking, molasses is used in the manufacture of certain types of bread and gingerbread. When added in small quantities, this wonderful additive determines color, and in large quantities it determines viscosity and taste. baked goods from dough. The beneficial properties of molasses are used in the manufacture of frozen ice cream and desserts, as it can lower the freezing point of the product. In the canning industry - for the preparation of preserves and jams in order to give the syrup greater viscosity, as well as to improve taste.

Due to the fact that molasses has hygroscopic and anti-crystallization properties, it is widely used for the manufacture of many types of sweets, halva, caramel, jam, gingerbread, liqueurs, as well as some types of bakery products.

However, despite the fact that this is very sweet product, the benefits of molasses are simply irreplaceable in the production process different varieties beer, as it ensures deep fermentation of the product, increasing its taste stability and extending the shelf life of the drink.

The food industry can no longer imagine a production process without the use of this additive. The areas where molasses is an important ingredient are difficult to cover completely. This is the production of ketchups and soft drinks, fruit canning and berry crops and many others.

The benefits of molasses

The benefits of molasses are expressed in the content of some important macroelements, such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium, as well as iron. All these substances are simply necessary to replenish the body's energy reserves.

The harm of molasses

The harm of molasses is practically unknown to consumers, except in cases where individual intolerance to the original product is discovered. People with high blood sugar levels should not abuse this product, since molasses is practically the same sweet substance.

Surely every housewife in her life has at least once encountered the word “molasses”. But not everyone knows what this strange product looks like. After all, we don’t eat it in pure form, and also hardly notice on

store shelves. So in reality and where is it used?

This substance is obtained as a result of partial acidity or enzymatic combination with sugar. Typically, potatoes or corn are used to produce molasses. It is from these vegetables that the main ingredient - starch - is obtained. Molasses tastes much sweeter than sugar itself. And the calorie content of this product is very impressive - in 100 grams there are as many as 316 kcal. Buying molasses is not so easy. It is not usually sold in standard grocery supermarkets. However, molasses is often sold by companies involved in the production of bakery products.

What is molasses in reality? Outwardly, it looks like a viscous and thick syrup dark in color, although the shade may vary. It all depends on what ingredients were used to prepare this type of molasses.

The main advantage of this product is its cost-effectiveness. Instead of a kilogram of sugar, you only need 750 g of molasses. Its consistency is reminiscent of young honey.

If you are interested in the question of what molasses is, then it is probably necessary to mention the areas in which it is used. Eg, this product very widely used for making beer. Despite all the sweetness of molasses, it actively promotes the fermentation process. In cooking we're talking about about the preparation of gingerbread, ice cream, various desserts, as well as baked goods. Molasses can significantly lower the freezing point of the product. Therefore, frozen desserts are also prepared with a slight addition of it.

What can you replace molasses with if you still couldn’t buy it? Ordinary honey will come in handy here. In addition, you can use sugar or caramel syrup. In terms of their properties, they are, of course, somewhat inferior to molasses. However, the main functions are quite capable of being replaced.

What is molasses in terms of benefits for the body? This is a real storehouse of some microelements. It contains phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, iron, calcium, and potassium. So that energy reserves human body not exhausted, necessary regular use molasses at least in small quantities. However, we already do this by consuming various store-bought sweets. This ingredient will be listed on their labels.

As for the harm of molasses, then specific examples science cannot lead. However, there is always a risk of encountering an individual intolerance to the product by the body. Simply put, you may experience a severe allergic reaction. Therefore, if you suffer from this in relation to honey or sugar syrups, then it’s clearly not worth the risk of eating molasses. In addition, people suffering from diabetes should also avoid it. Elevated blood sugar levels are the main contraindication to consuming molasses.

Starch syrup

or potato (starch sugar, glucose, dextrose, grape sugar). - Name "P." It is generally given to non-crystallizing concentrated solutions of sugary substances or sugary syrups, obtained either as by-products during the production of ordinary sugar and during its refining, or through the sugaring of starch, and the name potato sugar refers to the syrups formed during sugaring potato starch. Starch powder, obtained by sugaring starch with acids, contains glucose (dextrose) as sugar. Glucose is generally used in 2 forms: 1) in the form of a concentrated aqueous solution, syrup or powder and 2) in the form of solid sugar (glucose). The material for producing potato and solid starch sugar is almost exclusively potato starch. The industrial conversion of starch into glucose is always carried out by the action of acids, namely by heating the starch with very dilute sulfuric acid. When preparing both sugar and solid sugar, the main processes are the same. It is the factory production of glucose that consists of the following main operations: 1) heating starch with diluted sulfuric acid, 2) saturating the acid with chalk and separating the solution from the gypsum precipitate, 3) thickening and purifying the sugar solution. Let us first describe the preparation of starch sugar. As is known, the action of acids does not achieve complete conversion of starch into sugar; a part of the starch treated with acids, moreover, depending on the conditions of the process, is generally not the same, always turns into substances that are unable to ferment, into dextrins (see Starch, chemical). When preparing molasses of such properties, as is customary in practice now, there is no need to strive for the complete conversion of starch into sugar, since the presence of a significant amount of dextrin prevents the crystallization of sugar and makes it possible to obtain very thick, non-crystallizing syrups. The relative amount of glucose formed by the action of sulfuric acid on starch, or the degree of sugaring, depends on the temperature, the duration of heating, the relative amount of sulfuric acid used and the concentration of the solution, i.e. both the starch content and the acid content in the liquid . According to Soxlet, the highest yield of glucose (96%) can be achieved by heating 1 part of starch with 9 parts of 1/2% sulfuric acid under a pressure of 2 atmospheres (121 ° C.) for 4-5 hours, while when using an acid of the same strength, but in half the amount (4 1/5 parts to 1 part starch), only 90% of glucose is obtained. Boiling starch with dilute sulfuric acid is carried out in wooden vats lined with lead using direct or closed steam, which in the latter case passes through copper coil. The vats are equipped with a wooden lid with a hole and a wooden exhaust pipe used to remove vapors. When preparing P. for 100 kg. starch usually take 300 liters of water and 2-3 kg. sulfuric acid. The sugaring process is carried out as follows. Sulfuric acid is diluted with 1/2 - 2/3 of the total amount of water prescribed for the operation and heated in a vat to a boil; the remaining amount of water is mixed with starch in a separate vat and the resulting starch milk is gradually added to the acid so that the boiling of the liquid is not interrupted. Under these conditions, starch quickly dissolves and paste formation is prevented. After all the starch has been added, it is boiled until the alcohol solution of iodine ceases to give a blue color with a sample of the liquid from the vat, which will indicate the absence of unchanged starch. When potato starch is heated with dilute sulfuric acid, very volatile products are released. unpleasant odor; Therefore, in large Western European factories, the exhaust pipes of the vats are connected to special condensers, in which the vapors are absorbed by water, and then the vapors that have not condensed in the condensers are discharged into the furnaces of steam boilers. When the boiling is finished, they begin to neutralize the acid, which is produced in the same vat or in a separate one specially designed for this purpose. Neutralization is best done with chalk, which is first mixed with water into milk; You can also first saturate the acid with milk of lime and only finally with chalk. The use of lime generally requires caution, since glucose from the action of lime, and even more easily from alkalis, turns into colored dark color substances. While adding chalk milk, the liquid is thoroughly mixed, and when the reaction of the liquid becomes slightly acidic, the liquid is heated to a boil to remove carbon dioxide and then finally saturated almost to the average reaction (litmus test). Once the acid is saturated, the liquid is allowed to stand for a day and the clarified sugar solution is carefully drained; sediment or dirt holds a lot of sugar solution; therefore, it is pumped into a filter press, where it is washed with water; The sugar solution, separated from the dirt, is combined with the main solution. The resulting diluted sugar solution is thickened in 2 steps: the first time it is thickened to 20-30 ° C, the second time it is completely thickened, but to a very high temperature. different concentrations, depending on the quality of the P. released for sale, and then poured into barrels. The first evaporation of the sugar solution is first carried out in open steam pans, in which heating is carried out by steam passing through a closed coil or between two bottoms. Recently, large factories have begun to use the same devices that are used for beets. sugar production(see), as well as devices of a special design (Ueberrieselungsapparate), in which the evaporation of the solution occurs due to its contact with a system of steam-heated pipes placed in a wooden casing. During the thickening of P., gypsum is released, and therefore evaporators must be designed in such a way that their cleansing is convenient. The product subjected to the first evaporation is either left to separate the gypsum, or more often passed through a filter press, or filtered through sand. The solution separated from the gypsum is filtered through bone charcoal, using filters of the same type as in sugar factories, or vats filled with charcoal. The second or final evaporation of the syrup was previously also carried out in open frying pans, but now it is usually carried out in vacuum devices, under a pressure of 0.2-0.3 atmospheres, and boiling of the liquid occurs at a temperature of about 75 ° C. Condensation in vacuum devices represents a lot advantages: The product is less colored, it is possible to obtain a more concentrated product, thickening occurs faster and requires less fuel consumption. The final thickening is carried out to various concentrations. The thickest varieties of P. (Kapillair-Syrup stretches into threads, Sirop impondérable is so viscous that the hydrometer does not sink into it) have a density of up to 40-44 ° V., ordinary varieties 30-36° E; We sell even less concentrated varieties. P. contains, in addition to sugar, a very significant amount of dextrin and generally non-fermentable substances; At the same time, among the sugary substances, P. contains not only dextrose, but also a significant amount of maltose. The quantitative composition of P. can be very different; the most common varieties of P. in European trade contain: water 16.5-22.4%, fermentable sugar (dextrose and maltose) 30.1-48.3%, non-fermentable substances (dextrin and others) 31.7-53, 0%. In addition, P. also contains no a large number of(less than 1%) minerals, mainly gypsum and phosphorus-calcium salt. P. is used for confectionery and to replace honey and sugar in the preparation of various sweet edible products; also used for preparing sugar cooler (see Sugar production). The use of P. for sweetening wines, beer, etc., should be considered as falsification, since P. contains a significant amount of non-sugar substances, the presence of which is completely unusual for these products.

The desire to replace ordinary, or potato, sugar with pure ordinary sugar gave rise to a number of attempts at the factory preparation of pure glucose. However, solid starch sugar, or solid glucose, produced in fairly significant quantities in Western European factories, contains a lot of impurities. Various types of commercial solid starch sugar contain in percentage: water 6.0-27.5, fermentable sugar 38.3-77.8 and non-fermentable substances 5.1-43.8. Therefore, adding such sugar to some products, for example, wine, instead of ordinary sugar, represents the same adulteration as adding P. As already said, the main processes used to prepare solid sugar are the same as those used to obtain P. When obtaining solid sugar, you need strive to achieve the most complete sugaring of starch, and therefore in this case they take large quantity sulfuric acid than when preparing P., namely for 100 kg of starch 3-4 kg of sulfuric acid and 200-250 kg of water. Heating of starch with sulfuric acid is continued until (about 5 hours) until the alcohol in the liquid sample forms a precipitate (2 volumes of alcohol per 1 volume of sample); Usually after this, boiling is continued for another 1/2 hour. In order to achieve more complete sugaring and obtain a more colorless product, it is proposed to add a little nitric acid to sulfuric acid, but this is inconvenient, since nitric acid is then difficult to remove. It is most rational to carry out sugaring in closed boilers under pressure (2-6 atmospheres), for which they use iron boilers of the Manbré design, lined with lead inside and equipped with a steam pipe with many small holes inside (nowadays copper boilers are also used). In these boilers, the sugaring process is carried out as follows: 28 kg of sulfuric acid at 60 ° C is diluted with 2800 kg of water, the boiler is filled with this diluted acid and the liquid is heated to 100 °; another 28 kg of sulfuric acid, also diluted with 2800 kg of water, is heated in an open vat with a stirrer to 30 ° C, 1200 kg of starch is added and, while stirring, heated to 38 ° C. The resulting starch milk is lowered into a boiler into boiling diluted acid, maintaining the temperature at 100°; by adding everything starch milk close the boiler and let in steam until the pressure reaches 6 atmospheres (160° C); then open the steam outlet valve and continue to maintain the specified pressure until the sample produces a precipitate with alcohol. The entire operation requires from 2 to 4 hours, depending on the degree of purity of the starch used. It is most rational to carry out sugaring according to Soxle (see above). The remaining operations, i.e. neutralization, evaporation, filtration, are performed in the same way as when obtaining P. The first evaporation is often also carried out in vacuum devices, generally up to a concentration of 32 ° B (58 ° Brix), final evaporation to 40-45 ° E. (75-86 ° Brix at 60-70 ° C.). After thickening, the syrup is first poured into a large cauldron, in which the mass is cooled while stirring, and then poured into boxes with a capacity of 25-50 kg, where the mass hardens (box sugar - Kistenzucker), or the cooled syrup is poured into conical molds and, upon hardening, the sugar is broken into pieces (Raspelzucker), which are packed in bags. The solid sugar thus obtained is white, translucent, quite hard, has a sweet taste, often somewhat bitter and irritating. This sugar contains an average percentage of: 20 water, 68 dextrose, 12 dextrin and 0.2 ash. Attempts to establish factory preparation of pure glucose have not yet led to the displacement of impure starch sugar from consumption; Pure crystalline glucose is still prepared in very limited quantities. It can be obtained by purifying ordinary starch sugar. Of the various methods proposed for this (Anton, Soxle, etc.), the most convenient for factory production is the Cords et Virneisel method. To obtain glucose using this method, the purest starch is taken, sugared, guided by the above Soxlet data, with very dilute acid; Thus, the resulting syrup contains up to 95% dextrose, calculated on a dry matter basis, and only 5% of other substances. This syrup is thickened to such a concentration that when cooled, a thick paste is obtained; the mass is stirred with a colorless glucose solution at 20°C, the liquid is separated using suction machines (see Sugar production), the operation is repeated 2-3 times and the solid sugar is dried with a stream of air. Thus, the resulting sugar (1st product) contains 95% dextrose; The 2nd product, obtained from the syrup separated from the 1st product, contains 94% dextrose. Such sugar is subjected to purification, or refining. To do this, it is dissolved again in water, the syrup is filtered through bone char and boiled in a vacuum apparatus into grains or crystals, like beet sugar syrup; homogeneous, well-formed crystals of anhydrous dextrose, C 6 H 12 O 6 are obtained. Further processing of the boiled syrup can be carried out similarly to the processing of beet sugar waste (see Sugar production). Several methods have been proposed for obtaining starch sugar (P. and solid sugar) directly from raw starchy materials (potatoes and grain breads), but none of these methods is used in practice and, if one strives to introduce the purest possible starch sugar into circulation, then the use of raw starchy materials cannot be considered rational, since the easier it is to obtain pure sugar, the purer the source material. Solid starch sugar is used for the same purposes as sugar, that is, mainly for confectionery products. In Russia, a small amount of ordinary solid starch sugar is prepared, and pure glucose is not produced at all. Starch sugar in Russia, by the way, received a very strange use; it is used in large quantities for finishing some types of leather in order to increase their weight, i.e. for falsification. Sugar and solid sugar sold for sale usually contain, in addition to the above, also impurities that come from the materials used in the production of these products. Always contain small quantities gypsum due to its incomplete removal during purification of syrups. To the number of very harmful impurities refers to free sulfuric acid remaining in P. due to unsatisfactory saturation methods; Among even more dangerous impurities is arsenic acid, which gets into sugar or solid sugar when it is used for sugaring. sulfuric acid, containing arsenic compounds. Wed. Birnbaum, "Kurzes Lehrbuch d. landwirthschaftlichen Gewerbe" (1886); Lintner, "Handbuch d. landwirthschaftlichen Gewerbe" (1893); Tavildarov, " Chemical Technology agricultural products" (Vol. I, 1888).

They say: “Sticky like molasses.” But sometimes novice cooks don’t even suspect what it consists of and is made of, what its purpose is and its role in the production of some delicious dishes. We will try to talk about what molasses is in our article in as much detail as possible. And first of all, let's talk about where it comes from.

Compound

What is molasses from a chemical point of view (but, however, for many housewives this is probably not so important)? Given edible substance is a product of incomplete hydrolysis of such a familiar culinary ingredient, like starch, which is found, for example, in beets, from which sugar is produced (with sugar cane the same story). The syrup that is a by-product of processing into the final product is what molasses is. And other types of it are produced specifically for use in technology Food Industry(from corn grains and barley malt). Molasses, so viscous and very sticky, contains glucose, maltose and dextrin in different proportions. Some types of it are extremely nutritious. It’s not for nothing that they are called “liquid honey”, since they are even appearance resemble this natural product.

What is molasses in cooking?

It is used with great pleasure for preparing some culinary dishes. Molasses is added to gingerbread and other confectionery. Marshmallows and marmalade are produced from it, so familiar to many since childhood. It is also used as an additive in the production of sports nutrition. And thanks to its fermentation and canning abilities, it has found application in brewing and winemaking, and in the preparation of various canned foods. The production of preserves, marmalade, jam is also not complete without it. universal ingredient, allowing to significantly increase the shelf life of the final products. That's what molasses is in cooking. Its value is invaluable. And in caramel, for example, it is one of the main components (together with sugar it makes up up to 95% of the dry matter).

Benefits and harms

Some of the types of this product are even eaten separately. Molasses, if you do not eat kilograms of it, but use it in reasonable quantities, can cause virtually no harm to the human body, and some sources even call it extremely beneficial due to the high glucose content in it. But molasses also has contraindications for use. So, people suffering diabetes mellitus or those predisposed to it, it is categorically not recommended to eat this product (as, indeed, most products with increased content sugar and glucose).

Starch syrup. What it is?

In cooking, this product, necessary and important for the preparation of certain dishes, is divided into several types, which we will discuss in more detail. For example, starch molasses - what is it? This is a general term used to name many varieties of the product. And that means it's starch-based (usually potato or corn). Until very recently, our food industry produced only one type of starch syrup - caramel. Today, maltose, glucose, and low-sugar varieties are available. It is planned to launch lines for the production of syrups containing fructose.

Caramel

Caramel molasses - what is it? As already mentioned, this is a product most used in industry and cooking. It consists of glucose (15-20%), polysaccharides (up to 50%), maltose and maltotriose. It also contains enzymes, amino acids, and fats. In appearance it is a liquid, viscous and thick, quite transparent. The color varies from yellowish to transparent. The main raw materials used in production in Russia are corn and barley malt. This type of molasses is a universal sweetener widely used in baking (for many types of bread). It is used in the production of sweets, ice cream, marmalade, Turkish delight, glaze and creams, as well as for gingerbread, cookies, and desserts. It is used quite widely for the production of soft and alcoholic drinks.

Maltose

Maltose molasses - what is it? It can be both dark and light. The first variety is used for cooking sourdough bread such as “Borodinsky”, “Rizhsky” or “Ostankinsky”. Light - for baking cookies and gingerbreads of various varieties, as well as sweets (“Toffee”, “Korovok”). In terms of its composition, maltose molasses does not contain much glucose (up to 7% maximum), but it contains a lot of maltose (up to 50%, hence the name). It is also made mainly from barley and corn. In appearance, the light variety is a transparent liquid, sometimes yellowish in color, viscous and thick. At the same time, the dark one is brownish and less dense. When used, bread acquires the ability for a long time don't get stale.

Black (molasses)

Black molasses - what is it? This substance is by-product in sugar production and is slightly different from previous types (source - sugar beets and cane). The color of the liquid is brown and dark. The smell is specific. The consistency is syrupy. In North America, molasses is used quite often in cooking. It is used as syrup. It is known that it contains a large number of microelements with different vitamins in addition. This is one of the few harmless natural sweeteners. And the fans vegetarian way nutritionists highly value black molasses as natural spring non-animal calcium.

Application of molasses

Molasses is also used in biotechnology, in the production of certain acids (by fermentation). And in alcohol industry it is used to distill low-quality products (for example, Thai whiskey) with a characteristic treacle taste and smell.

Black molasses is also known as a liquid additive for making fish feed. They say that fishermen value molasses for its specific smell, which is ideal for bait. This supplement It also stimulates the appetite of aquatic inhabitants and makes them peck more actively.

Sweetener

And also different kinds molasses is used as a sugar substitute. So, the sweetest of all is obtained from sorghum. It contains up to 70% (and even higher) sucrose content, and in appearance it certainly resembles amber honey(and to taste too). By the way, molasses must be stored strictly in the refrigerator, since room temperatures and enough high humidity it may become moldy, and then tasty and useful product will have to throw it away.