Molasses what is it

Bottom line : There are several types of molasses, including light, dark, and blackstrap. Each has different properties. Unlike refined sugar, molasses contains some vitamins and minerals 1. One tablespoon — 20 grams g — of molasses contains the following amounts of your daily values of each nutrient:.

One tablespoon also contains about 58 calories , all of which come from carbs — mostly sugar. In addition to containing vitamins and minerals, molasses is very high in sugar. In excess, sugar can be very harmful to your health. Nutritionists do not recommend that people start eating molasses for the nutrients because its sugar content is so high.

The best way to get these nutrients is by eating whole foods. Bottom line : Molasses contains several nutrients and is fairly high in minerals. However, it is not the most healthful source of these nutrients because it contains so much sugar. Limited research about the health effects of molasses is available.

However, researchers have linked the nutrients in the syrup to several health benefits. Molasses is a good source of iron , selenium , and copper , all of which help maintain healthy bones 5. The syrup also contains some calcium , which plays an important role in bone health and preventing osteoporosis 6. However, other healthful food sources of these minerals are widely available. These include nuts, seeds, and dairy products. People should not rely on molasses as source for these nutrients.

Molasses is a decent source of potassium , which promotes healthy blood pressure and helps maintain heart health 7. Healthy levels of HDL cholesterol may protect against heart disease and strokes.

People with poor blood sugar control should limit their intake of all forms of sugar, including molasses. That said, molasses may help stabilize blood sugar levels in healthy adults on a high carb diet. One study found that eating it alongside foods that contain carbs resulted in lower blood sugar and insulin levels than simply eating the foods on their own 9.

Sugar beet molasses and sugar cane molasses have different flavors and consistencies and are not used interchangeably. Sugar cane molasses is primarily used for sweetening and flavoring foods in the U. Molasses can be utilized in several industries, from baking and distilling to pharmaceuticals and animal feed, but sugar cane molasses is used in food-based applications while molasses derived from beets is reserved for other applications.

Sugar cane molasses is used to make brown sugar, for flavor in many baking and cooking recipes, and as the principal ingredient in the distillation of rum. Also, a few beer styles such as stouts and porters utilize molasses. The U. Department of Agriculture has established standards and grades for the different varieties of molasses. This results in an upward pressure on global molasses price which, in any case, will remain significantly lower than the EU average molasses price in the period between and You can change these settings at any time.

However, this can result in some functions no longer being available. What is molasses? How is molasses produced? Where is molasses used? Yeast Yeast is an essential ingredient in the food sector.

It is a microscopic living organism formed of just a single cell. In baking it gives us our daily bread; through brewing it brings us our glass of beer; through fermenting it produces European-famous wines.

Animal nutrition Molasses is a highly valued energy-rich taste enhancer with pellet-binding qualities that increase the palatability and the homogeneity of feed. Molasses is also used to produce amino acids for animal nutrition as a flavor enhancing and protein balancing feed additive.

Dark molasses is used mainly in baking, especially during Christmastime for gingerbread, as well as for Pennsylvania Dutch Shoofly Pie , and for Boston Baked Beans.

While molasses, unlike refined sugar, contains some vitamins and minerals — and blackstrap molasses, the most concentrated of all molasses, has the highest nutrient content — you need to keep in mind that molasses are mainly carbohydrates and very high in sugar with about calories per 2 tablespoons. So like all sugars, molasses should be consumed only in small amounts. The best replacement for molasses is dark brown sugar, especially in recipes where molasses flavor is important.

The next best substitute is to replace molasses with corn syrup, honey or maple syrup in a ratio. What Is Molasses? By Nadia Hassani Updated February 08,