Sugar syrup. Fruit molasses: national cooking features

Today you can often find recipes where it is proposed to make a dessert or a cake with molasses. Everyone has heard this word, but few know what this product is and how it is used. Today we will try to find out what molasses is and in what cases it can be used.

The product is a semi-finished product that can be considered a by-product of the starch and sugar production process. In appearance, this is a semi-liquid mass, the consistency is a bit like fresh honey.

This syrup is widely used for the preparation of various products, since sweet molasses may well replace sugar, honey. It is mainly used on an industrial scale in the production of bread: rye, Karelian and some others, gingerbread, sauces, sweets, beer. When added, it imparts flavor and a characteristic brownish color to the finished product. In addition, sugar syrup increases the viscosity, making the finished baked goods more dense and porous.

In molasses, the composition is as follows - in fact, the product is a mixture of three components dissolved in water: glucose, dextrin, oligosaccharides. As a by-product, only starch molasses is obtained. The remaining types of this sweet transparent syrup are made specifically for further use in the food industry.

Kinds

There are some of the most common options used in cooking. The most common is starch, but it is also divided into several types:

1. Maltose syrup has a brown color and a sweet aftertaste with malt notes (maltose is found in large quantities in sprouted grains of rye and barley). It is obtained in the process of saccharification of starch-containing raw materials, for example, corn, with special enzymes, after which the syrup is filtered and boiled to a viscosity. Today it is used not only in the confectionery industry, but also in brewing. Due to the fact that chemical acids and catalysts are not used in the production process, maltose syrup does not crystallize for a long time, remains liquid and viscous. It is mainly used for marmalade, preservation, baking, being a cheaper substitute for sugar.

1. Caramel molasses is obtained in the process of processing corn, sugar beet or cane. That is why it is divided into several types: beet molasses, cane molasses. It is this dark molasses that is most often used at home, as it is optimal for creating pastries and desserts.

1. Black molasses is slightly different from other types of products, it has a darker color and a specific smell. The syrup is prepared on the basis of cane and sugar beets, molasses is rarely used in cooking in North America. The composition contains about half of sucrose and some impurities that make its use for food purposes impossible. The main place of use is the production of compound feed, in brewing, some industries.

1. Corn syrup is used in the food industry as a sweetener. It can be made under industrial conditions by softening the corn cob in boiling water, after which a solution of sulfur oxide is added to the mass, the process of formation of lactobacilli is enhanced. After that, the solution is washed, dehydrated, diluted with acid, during which the starch turns into sugar. Corn syrup is several times sweeter than ordinary sugar, and also has a viscous consistency, which is why it is used in confectionery and bakery production.
2. Watermelon molasses is also called nardek. Basically, this product is sold in places where melons and gourds grow. During the production process, the watermelon pulp is crushed, the juice is squeezed out, which is boiled down to a density for about a day. The resulting syrup has a very thick consistency, dark color, almost black, light bitterness.

Today, cooking is put on industrial "rails", but cooking molasses at home is also not difficult. As a substitute for molasses, you can use ordinary honey, sugar, thick sugar syrup, but it must be borne in mind that only molasses has the sweetest taste.

Is molasses good?

When using molasses, the benefits and harms of this product must be taken into account, since the syrup cannot be used for certain diseases, including diabetes. Full list of contraindications:

• obesity or overweight;
• diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2;
• allergy to the components of glucose syrup;
• individual intolerance.

However, confectionery syrup also has useful properties. These include:

• improving well-being during menopause in women;
• complex therapy of ulcers and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• to improve the functioning of the nervous system and brain;
• to saturate the body with calcium and iron;
• to stimulate the activity of the cardiovascular system thanks to potassium and magnesium.

In addition, ordinary or fruit is not in vain used in the production of confectionery and bread. From the potato dough becomes more porous, elastic, it gives the gingerbread a characteristic shade and flavor. Without it, it is impossible to prepare some types of confectionery, for example, marmalade, soft toffee, marshmallows, marshmallows, and some varieties of sweets. Starch, caramel and other molasses are widely used in the production of biscuits, where it acts as a leavening agent, gives the dough viscosity, juiciness. Any grade increases the moisture-retaining characteristics of baking, slows down its hardening and allows the product to remain soft longer.

How to cook on your own?

Despite the relative cheapness and prevalence of the product, it is very difficult to find it in stores. Therefore, the housewives often face the question of how to cook molasses on their own or how to replace molasses in pastries or sweets.

There are no exotic ingredients in the recipe, so you can make your own baking syrup. The simplest option is sugar-based. For her you will need:

• 150 milliliters of water;
• 350 grams of regular sugar (you can use cane sugar, in which case the syrup will turn out darker and thicker);
• 2 grams of citric acid;
• 1.5 grams of soda.

Make your beetroot syrup according to this recipe as follows:

1. Pour water into a saucepan and boil, reduce heat.
2. Add sugar, stir it so that there are no crystals, bring to a boil again and reduce heat.
3. Pour in citric acid and boil for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the mixture does not burn. The fire must be small.
4. Now the refined molasses should cool down a little, add a pinch of soda to it and stir. If foam appears on the surface, periodically remove it with a spoon.

Any molasses at home should be stored in a glass container, tightly sealed with a lid, in the refrigerator.

Storing molasses is not difficult, with proper preparation it can be stored for a long time without sugaring in the cold. Fruit varieties of the product are stored less, so it is better to prepare the syrup for 1-2 times.

The syrup can be made on the basis of any products that contain a lot of glucose. It can be grapes, sweet varieties of apples, melons, watermelons, and so on. Fruit varieties may have different shades. For example, banana syrup has a milky white color, maltose syrup is very transparent, like fresh honey.

If you don’t know how to replace the syrup found in the recipe for pastries, sauces or other dishes, cook it yourself or use regular sugar syrup, honey. When cooking molasses, we offer a recipe for its preparation, you can use ordinary or brown sugar, honey, fruit juice and other sweet ingredients.

It is impossible to exactly repeat the process of industrial production of syrup in the conditions of one's own kitchen, since toxic acids are used on an industrial scale. A full-fledged substitute can be considered, which is almost identical in characteristics, also has viscosity and density. It is widely used in baking homemade bread, biscuits, extends the shelf life, gives a special structure to the dough, is stored for a long time in the refrigerator, and can be used gradually.

(maize) starch. It is used in confectionery and canning industries, as well as for the production of dressings. Maltodextrin (molasses, dextrinmaltose) Appearance Maltodextrin (molasses, dextrinmaltose) is a fast carbohydrate that consists of glucose molecules, maltose (2 glucose molecules), maltotriose (3 glucose molecules) and dextrin (several glucose molecules).

Properties: Powder of white or creamy-white color, with sweetish taste, we will well dissolve in hot and cold water.

Maltodextrin (molasses, dextrinmaltose) is made by enzymatic breakdown of vegetable starch (rice, potato, or more often corn). Starch is a long chain of glucose. Enzymes divide this long chain into fragments - dextrins, consisting of a different number of glucose molecules (from 2 to 20).

The glycemic index of maltodextrin is very high, ranging from 105 to 136 depending on the method of production. Since it is not technically a sugar, manufacturers include it in many sports products, while being able to label it as "sugar free". This carbohydrate causes a sharp rise in blood glucose, comparable to the intake of regular sugar, and is not inferior to it in terms of harmfulness and ability to be deposited in fat.

Pureprotein packaging The popularity of the product in the bodybuilding industry has led manufacturers and retailers to market it for muscle gain, misrepresenting it as an optimal carbohydrate source.

After the name, the abbreviation DE is sometimes put - from English. dextrose equivalent - percentage of reducing sugar. The more DE, the smaller the fragments of carbohydrate chains, and the greater the glycemic index.

Maltodextrin in sports nutrition Changes the degree of viscosity of the product Has the effect of thickening, emulsifying. Inhibits the process of natural color change. It can act as a shaper or as a baking powder. Increasing the energy value of the product; Improving the solubility of mixtures; Formation of the structure and homogeneity of the product; Simplifying the addition of ingredients with minimal dosages, such as dyes, flavors, vitamins, etc.; Reducing the water absorption capacity of the hygroscopic components of the mixture. Thus, maltodextrin is commonly used as an inert excipient in the production of sports supplements. In gainers it can be used in large quantities as a source of energy.

Replacement. Literature data indicate no advantages of maltodextrin over other carbohydrates. In fact, it has the same biological properties (absorption, calorie content, increased insulin secretion, etc.) as sweet confectionery and flour products. Any food with a high glycemic index can be used as an adequate substitute.

Harm According to the FDA, this is a safe food ingredient that is approved for use in the food industry. However, like any sugar, it can be dangerous for diabetics. The main harm of maltodextrin is for a bodybuilder, because it creates a sharp rise in blood sugar levels, the excess of which is quickly deposited in adipose tissue. Information about the harm and contribution to obesity is not widely distributed, since the food industry uses it to a limited extent.

The total consumption of molasses in Russia, according to various estimates for 2005, is about 400 thousand tons.

In everyday life, various sugar-containing syrups, including molasses, can be called molasses.

Footnotes and sources

see also

• Light molasses ( English)

Links

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

• corel
• Ronaldo

See what "molasses" is in other dictionaries:

SYRUP- wives. semi-fluid, swelling from what; honey tear or gravity flow, unmelted honey, pure, flowing from the honeycombs itself; | drain when cooking sugar, liquid sugar. Molasses sugar, potato. They also cook watermelon and grape molasses. Molasses with inbir, ... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

syrup- A semi-finished product in the production of sugar and starch at sugar and starch treacle plants, a semi-liquid mass, similar in consistency to young liquid honey. There are white molasses (starch) and black molasses (beet sugar). Molasses… … Culinary Dictionary

Molasses is a by-product of processing corn, sugar beets or cane to produce granulated sugar. Many people underestimate molasses as a product. Nevertheless, not a single confectionery or bakery production can do without it. Often molasses is required even for making homemade cakes, not to mention industrial scale.

But not everyone knows where molasses is used, what it is in general and how it is obtained. The following describes the main types of molasses, and briefly - the technology of its production.

Production

The basis of any kind of this product is starch. It starts the production of molasses. It is found in almost all cereals, as well as in some other products, including sugar beets. In the processing of grain starch, molasses is a by-product. But this does not mean that it is not an important component.

Treacle is obtained in the process of starch processing by incomplete hydrolysis. The degree of saccharification depends on the depth of hydrolysis. The composition of the product and the content of sugars, glucose and dextrins in it depend on this.

It is the composition of molasses that affects its viscosity, degree of sweetness and color. And also - on the scope of application in the preparation of confectionery or bakery products.

Properties and characteristics

Molasses is a viscous transparent syrup that does not thicken over time and retains its properties over a long period. It can be either completely colorless or brownish.

To answer the question: "Flow - what is it?" - suffice it to say that it is a mixture of higher sugars and dextrin.

Outwardly, in most cases, it resembles young honey, as it has a viscous and liquidish structure.

In the food industry, it has been noted that molasses significantly improves the organoleptic characteristics of products prepared with its use.

Molasses is in most cases used as a sweetener. Its use is justified by economy, because the cost of this product is lower compared to sugar. At the same time, the quality of products does not fall, as is the case with sweeteners of chemical origin. On the contrary, the characteristics of products with the addition of this product are significantly increased.

Application

The use of this sweet product is very diverse, from the creation of culinary masterpieces to the production of building materials, as in the example of low sugar molasses.

It is a natural preservative and stabilizer of food consistency. Low sugar molasses is added to caramel and a variety of syrups to increase shelf life and prevent sugaring.

Molasses is widely used in the production of bakery products, making sweets, caramel candies, glazes and, oddly enough, beer is indispensable without it.

What is she like

If we talk about such a product as molasses, what it is and how it is produced, then it is better to classify this product according to the raw material from which it is made. It could be:

• beet molasses. It is made from fodder beets. It has a very dark color, a high degree of viscosity and a bitter taste;
• corn syrup. It has similar external characteristics, but is used only in the food industry, unlike the previous product;
• cane molasses, the production of which practically does not take place in our latitudes. Popular in countries such as USA, Canada, Cuba.

Caramel syrup: what is it

This is a special type of product that is most often used to improve the properties of confectionery. It has the mildest taste and resembles honey in appearance.

Added to bread to improve its quality. Such products do not spoil for a long time compared to bread without the addition of molasses. They do not crumble, the dough rises better and becomes soft and airy as a result.

But if you can do without it when baking bread, then this cannot be said about gingerbread, marshmallows and caramel products.

In addition, there is practically not a single popular chocolate bar that does not contain a filling with the addition of molasses.

It is used for baking many types of cookies, muffins and muffins. Its presence in jams, marmalades and jams significantly improves their shelf life, prevents sugaring and makes them more viscous and homogeneous.

It is made exclusively from corn. Caramel syrup has a mild taste, an average degree of saccharification and high quality characteristics.

Non-confectionery application

Another characteristic of molasses is that it is a universal product that is used not only in the confectionery industry. It is used in pharmacology as an additive in various cough syrups.

The best beers are also brewed with it. It allows you to more clearly control the fermentation process. This use is due to its characteristic composition, which usually includes 70 percent of easily fermentable sugars.

Its use improves the characteristics of other alcoholic beverages. For example - vodka and rum. Molasses softens their taste and gives them a characteristic aromatic tint.

As a foam and viscosity regulator, molasses is used in the manufacture of savory sauces. These include ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, adjika and many other types.

Its important role in the manufacture of soft drinks is noted. It is both a preservative and significantly enhances the characteristics of drinks.

Beneficial features

Molasses is distinguished by its useful properties primarily due to its high energy value. It provides the body with a complete energy reserve. It is for this reason that the product is added to almost all energy bars.

If there is an allergy to honey, molasses can be an excellent substitute for it. However, it should not be used by people with diabetes and overweight. It is necessary to take into account its high calorie content (360 Kcal per 100 g of product) and high sugar content.

As a dietary product, it is valued for its low or no fat content. Molasses does not contain genetically modified elements.

Refined sugar is a fairly popular food product that is actively used by a significant number of people in their daily lives. However, it is not able to benefit our body, differing in some toxicity and harmfulness. At the same time, the product from sugar cane, which remains after its manufacture, contains many vitamins and minerals. This substance is called molasses, it has recently become more and more famous and is often sold for use in cooking and as a sugar substitute. Of particular value is black molasses, which is the most nutritious and best variety of this product.

What are the health benefits of molasses? Benefit

In cooking, molasses is actively used in the manufacture of various kinds of gingerbread, as well as some types of bread. A small proportion of such a sweet additive gives the finished product an interesting color, and with an increase in its amount, the taste of the cooked muffin changes. Molasses is able to somewhat reduce the level of freezing of products, which allows it to be used in the manufacture of chilled desserts, as well as ice cream. Among other things, this product is characterized by hygroscopicity, as well as anti-crystallization, and this is especially true in the production of various confectionery products - halvah and sweets, jams and liqueurs, etc.

Molasses is a very sweet product, but despite this, it is used in brewing. It is this product that stimulates the fermentation process in beer wort, which contributes to an increase in its taste characteristics and significantly extends the shelf life of cooked products. In addition, molasses is also used in other industries, where it replaces sugar.

But how can molasses be useful to each of us?

Molasses is especially useful for our hair, because a couple of teaspoons of this substance contain up to fourteen percent of the daily amount of copper and many other important trace elements. The peptides in its composition perfectly restore the structure of the epidermis, and maintain the health of our hair. Accordingly, prolonged consumption of molasses effectively improves the quality of the hair, resumes the processes of their growth in men, and also restores the previous hair color.

Black molasses is a good laxative that effectively improves stool regularity and positively affects the quality of bowel movements.

What does molasses contain? Compound

Molasses is obtained by saccharification of starch with enzymes or weak acids, followed by filtering and evaporating water using boiling. So this is an aqueous mixture of oligosaccharides, dextrins, glucose (dextrins - from 0 to 70%, glucose - from 0 to 50%, maltose - from 19 to 85%). At the same time, the dry matter content is up to 80%.

This product contains a significant amount of iron, so about thirteen percent of the daily value of this substance is present in a couple of teaspoons. So with anemia, you can eat a certain amount of molasses every day, such an inclusion will benefit pregnant women.

Also, this substance is a wonderful source of calcium, as well as magnesium. Both of these minerals stimulate bone growth and development. Thanks to this content of molasses, it prevents the development of osteoporosis and other bone ailments. Among other things, this product contains a lot of manganese, vitamin B6, selenium and potassium.

In order for molasses to benefit our body, dissolve a couple of teaspoons of this substance in a glass of boiling water, then let the water cool. The resulting composition is recommended to be drunk through a straw, this will protect your teeth from the pathological effects of molasses. The best time to consume such a composition is in the morning, because at this stage the body especially needs energy.

If you are going to buy molasses, then choose one that does not contain sulfur.

Molasses: calories and glycemic index

Unlike refined sugar, molasses has a fairly moderate glycemic index - it is fifty-five. Thus, molasses is able to replace sugar for diabetics and those people who seek to prevent an increase in blood sugar. In addition, one serving of molasses contains no fat, a couple of teaspoons contains only thirty-five calories. Accordingly, it can be consumed while on a diet. One hundred grams of the product contains approximately three hundred and fifteen calories.

Who can be dangerous molasses? Harm

This product is not capable of causing particular harm to the body, with the exception of individual intolerance to some of its components. You should not consume a significant amount of molasses if you suffer from high blood sugar. Many experts advise consuming it as an alternative to honey if you are allergic to bee products.

Molasses at home

Yes, you can make your own at home. Pour 50 ml of water into a glass of granulated sugar, drop a little lemon juice (you can throw citric acid). Next, cook over low-low heat in a saucepan with thick walls for about 30 minutes, while stirring all the time until the sugar is completely dissolved. As a result, get 200 grams of molasses.

The consumption of molasses in moderation can benefit our body, but it should not be abused.

What is molasses? Since childhood, we know that this is a very sweet, viscous syrup. And we don’t know anything more about it, because it is rarely sold in stores. Learn more about molasses in this article.

What is molasses?

Syrup- a fermentation product, a semi-finished product, a preservative formed during the production of sugar and starch. Molasses happens:

• Light, it is sweeter than sugar, obtained from the production of starch and sugar, resembles liquid honey (sold as artificial honey).
• Dark molasses or molasses obtained from sugar beets in the production of sugar. There are much less sugars in molasses than in light and sugar itself, but more vitamins and minerals.

According to the chemical composition, light molasses consists of maltose, dextrin and glucose, and in dark molasses, instead of glucose, sucrose (50%).

Useful properties of molasses

What is the use of molasses?

• Molasses contains B vitamins and minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper).
• Useful for pregnant women.
• Improves the condition of the body of women during menopause.
• The flow is more beneficial to take than sugar during the treatment of stomach ulcers.
• With prolonged use, molasses improves brain function, removes headaches, insomnia, calms the nervous system, and the state after stress.
• Normalizes cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Reduces joint inflammation in arthritis.

To whom is molasses contraindicated?

Molasses also has contraindications, but there are few of them:

• Allergy to molasses
• Diabetes

Important! You can't eat a lot of molasses, you can get diabetes

Where is molasses used?

Light molasses is used:

• In the confectionery industry, when baking cookies and gingerbread, with molasses they are more tender and fluffy than with sugar, they do not get stale for a long time.
• In the production of beer and beverages.
• When cooking jam, jam, marmalade on an industrial scale.
• In the manufacture of marshmallows, marshmallows, caramel candies and fudge.
• Ice cream is made with molasses because it lowers the freezing point of foods.
• Add to food intended for sports nutrition.
• It is used in the production of textiles.

In Russia, dark molasses is mainly used for livestock feed and is added in the manufacture of concrete, while in America, dark molasses is used in the confectionery industry along with light molasses. Dark molasses is also used in the production of:

• ethyl alcohol
• baker's yeast
• Synthetic acids used in cooking (lactic, citric, acetic, oxalic, gluconic, propionic)

How to cook molasses at home?

We rarely see molasses in stores, and therefore many housewives will want to cook it at home. This is easy to do, but not very fast. Cooking watermelon molasses

For molasses you need:

• 5-6 medium watermelons

Preparing the molasses:

1. We cut the washed watermelons in half and select all the pulp with a spoon.
2. In a large bowl, mash the flesh with a mashed potato masher.
3. Pour the resulting slurry onto gauze in 2-3 layers, squeeze out all the liquid.
   Let the juice boil for 2 minutes, and turn off the fire.
4. The cooled juice is again passed through gauze, and cooked over low heat, stirring until honey.
5. From this amount of watermelons you get 0.5 liters of molasses.

Molasses can also be made from other sweet fruits: grapes, apples, plums, pears.

More about molasses

How to measure the right amount of molasses so that it does not remain all on the walls of the vessel? Very simply, a spoon or glass needs to be lubricated with vegetable oil, and molasses will not stick to them.

Molasses is much healthier than sugar, especially dark. In 1 st. l. molasses contains a daily allowance:

• Gland
• calcium
• Magnesium
• Vitamin B6

Black molasses is more suitable for diabetics than sugar: the glycemic index of sugar is 80, and molasses is 55.

Until the 20th century, sugar was very expensive, and the common people used molasses for food.

Now we know that molasses is much healthier than sugar.