Molasses, beet composition

Composition. Molasses composition depends on several factors, eg, locality, variety, sod, climate, and processing. Cane molasses is generally at pH 5.5—6.5 and contains 30—40 wt % sucrose and 15—20 wt % reducing sugars. Beet molasses is ca 7.5—8.6 pH, and contains ca 50—60 wt % sucrose, a trace of reducing sugars, and 0.5—2.0 wt % raffinose. Cane molasses contains less ash, less nitrogenous material, but considerably more vitamins than beet molasses. Composition of selected molasses products is Hsted in Table 7. Procedures for molasses analysis are avadable (59). 

The vinasse of sugar beet.—Sugar beet contains about 0 5 per cent, of potash, K20, largely in combination with organic acids. The potash accumulates in the molasses of the best sugar factories. The molasses are fermented and distilled for alcohol. The residue which remains in the retort—called vinasse—may be used as a manure, or it may be mixed with lime and ignited to form what was once called vinasse cinder, and used in the manufacture of soft-soap. It is, however, more profitably refined for potash by fractional crystallization.6 The product has approximately the composition ... 

Only one tri-saccharose is important. It is known as raffinose and has the composition Ci8H320]6. It is found in beets and is present in the molasses after the sucrose sugar is crystallized out. It is also found in barley and in cotton seeds. When this tri-saccharose hydrolyzes it yields first a di-saccharose known as melibiose and a monosaccharose fructose. The di-saccharose is then further hydrolyzed and yields two molecules of mono-saccharose, viz., glucose and galactose. The complete hydrolysis of the tri-saccharose, therefore, is as follows. 

T able 3. Average composition (%) of European (A) and U. S. (B) beet molasses versus Brazilian/Caribbean blackstrap molasses samplesf l... 

The composition of molasses varies from year to year, since it depends on many factors, such as variety of sugar cane or beet, soil type, climatic conditions (rainfall, sunshine), time of harvesting, process conditions, etc. 

Table 8. Average composition of (trace) elements in Puerto Rican blackstrap molasses in 1986 and one European beet molasses sample of the same year l...

Composition of a concentrated French Stillage (Ethanol-ffom-beet molasses)... 

Stark, J. B., and McCready, R. M., The Relation of Beet Molasses Composition to True Purity, Journal of American Society of Beet Sugar Technologists, 15, 61-72 (1968). 

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