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Molasses
Appears in
By Peter Greweling and Culinary Institute of America
Published 2007
A thick brown syrup that is a by-product of the sugar-refining process, molasses is used in confectionery primarily for its distinctive flavor and its doctoring properties. Because it contains a significant amount of invert sugar, minerals, and amino acids extracted during the refining process, it has a tendency to brown during cooking as a result of the Maillard reaction and to increase the hygroscopicity of products that contain it.
Molasses is available in varying degrees of darkness and flavor intensity. When it is obtained early in the sugar-refining process, it is relatively light in color and flavor; molasses from the later stages of refining has a darker color and a more intense flavor. The darkest molasses, known as blackstrap molasses, is used primarily in the distilling industry, in yeast manufacturing, and for animal feed, although a small percentage of it is sold for use in human food. All molasses used for human consumption comes from sugarcane, not sugar beets.