Molasses Extract

Front Page of the Now Defunct Boston Post

Whoever coined the phrase “slow as molasses” had never heard of the Boston Molasses Disaster (a.k.a. Boston Molasses Flood). Let me tell you a little story…

It was the middle of Winter, January of 1919.  No snow lay on the ground, but winter coats where still out in force.  You could smell the salt in the air, wafting in from Boston Harbor.

In the North Shore neighborhood of the city, things were business as usual.  Then, without warning or provocation, lug nuts started firing from the side of a metal storage tank, like bullets from a gun.  An internal pressure had built up, ripping the structural screws from their duvets.

And then the storage tank collapsed.

A veritable tsunami of molasses was released into the streets.  Some of the “waves” peaked at heights of 16 feet!  What’s more, the molasses tore ripped the streets at an estimated speed of 35 mph.

That’s faster than any man has ever run. That’s faster than the average horse. “Slow as molasses” is a misnomer.

The molasses wave, heavy with latent energy, was devastating to the surrounding area.  Buildings were literally pulled off of their foundations and smashed into pieces.  Trains where strewn from the tracks like toys.

And those unlucky enough to be caught in it’s wake were smashed against cobblestone streets, bashed against brick walls. Men and women floundered in the viscous liquid, trapped like a fly in a web.  The air was sticky–sweet and full of trepidation.

The National Guard came to help, followed by the police, army and navy.  Tragically, a human toll had already been paid.  21 people perished, and at least 50 others were injured.

The location of the original ruptured storage tank as since become a little league field.  Only an unassuming little plaque is left at the site to commemorate the event.

To this day, some Bostonians claim you can still smell molasses on hot summer days.  None of them attribute this smell to the local concerns that use molasses to can baked beans. Then again, we all need myths.

But sometimes fact is much more curious (and more awe-inspiring) than fiction.

Blackstrap molasses is loaded with over 13 different vitamins and nutrients.

Blackstrap molasses is the substance that writers are talking about when they use the cliche “slow as molasses”.  It’s thick, viscous, sticky, voluminous and pungently bittersweet.

It also happens to be incredibly healthy.

Unlike refined sugar or artificial sweeteners, molasses in general (and blackstrap in particular) is packed with nutrients. To the brim. Let me give you an idea of what I mean:

Iron

Iron is a major player in the creation of physical energy, and serves as a building block for hemoglobin.  It is also frequently deficient in the typical Western diet.  And this deficiency is compounded for vegetarians and menstruating women.

Blackstrap molasses (one serving) = 13% of your daily iron requirements.

Calcium

You’ve watched the milk commercials; you know that calcium is key to strong bones.  You may not know that it plays a major role in the functioning of your body’s cells.  As Westerners leave school it is much more likely that a calcium deficiency will form, eventually leading to nasty diseases such as osteoporosis.

Blackstrap molasses (1 serving) = 12% of your daily calcium requirements.

Maganese

Maganese is a key player in turning food into raw energy.  It also helps the body form antioxidant enzymes, part of the defense system against illness.

Blackstrap molasses (1 serving) = 18% of your daily maganese requirements.

Magnesium

About 66% of the US population has a magnesium deficiency. Frighteningly, these deficiencies have been linked to asthma, osteoporosis and diabetes.  Proper magnesium levels are vital for nerve/muscular regulation, energy production and other bodily functions.

Blackstrap molasses (1 serving) = 7% of your daily magnesium requirements.

Copper

Free radicals are a precursor to cancer.  Copper helps eliminate them. LDL cholesterol is the prime culprit behind heart disease and artery plaque.  Copper helps lower it.

Blackstrap molasses (1 serving) = 14% of your daily copper requirements.

Potassium

Potassium is a common recommendation for active adults. Why?  For one, it is important to nerve and brain function.  For another, it helps the body store and then distribute energy. Further, it plays a role in muscular contraction and thus muscle building.

Blackstrap molasses (1 serving) = 10% of your daily potassium requirements.

Then there’s the vitamins…

• Niacin
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin B6
• Folate

And as if that wasn’t enough

On top of this veritable orgy of nutrients and vitamins, blackstrap molasses is also a source of quickly-ingested carbohydrates.  This makes it a perfect additive to post-workout meals.

Not to mention, it tastes good. It is more bitter than lighter types of molasses, but is also more wholesome and nutrition.  In the future we’ll cover different recipes you can make using blackstrap molasses, first and second boil molasses as well as molasses extract.

Molasses explained in the common man's terms.

Molasses is a by-product of processing sugar.  It is a common baking ingredient, considered healthier than its refined sugar descendant, and may even assist in losing weight.

The world’s refined sugars are primarily extracted from three items: sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets.  Sugar cane is by far the most popular, accounting for roughly 70% of all refined sugar.  However, other sweet items are also occasionally used, such as pomegranates or dates.

The sugar extraction process works like this…

First the raw sugar is liquefied, either by pressing with heavy roller or extraction with lime juice. This “mother liquid” is cleaned of impurities by a mixture of milk of lime and carbon dioxide.

Next, the resultant solution is purged of solids. This is done with one of two methods: carbonation or phosphatation.  The result is the same – solids are removed and some of the sugar’s natural coloring is lost.

The now-purified solution is then fully “de-colored”.  The aim, of course, is to have snow white sugar crystals as an end product. The sugar/syrup solution is pumped through two silos fool of either granular activated carbon or an ion exchange resin.  The output is roughly 80-90% effective at removing any traces of natural coloring.

Then, a “sugar dust” is added and the solution is boiled until sugar crystals begin to reform.  The solution is spun rapidly, kind of like laundry in a drying machine, to separate the crystals from the remaining liquids.

And what happens to all that sweet runoff, which hadn’t crystallized but was also refined of impurities? You guessed it… molasses is born.

There are two primary classes of molasses: sulfured and unsulfured.

Sulfured molasses is the byproduct of young sugar cane.  The sugar cane hasn’t been given enough time to grow.  To avoid degradation, sulfur dioxide (a preservative) is added.  Sulfured molasses is less “fine”, heavier and often bitter.

While sulfur dioxide was deemed safe by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, it isn’t the best stuff to put into your body.  To put it into perspective, sulfur dioxide is also used as a refrigerant and as a reducing agent for bleach.

Unsulfured molasses is the byproduct from matured sugar cane.  No preservatives are needed or added.  It is a purer product, and has a distinctly lighter and sweeter taste.  It is also considered healthier because it is more ‘natural’.

Within these two classes, there are three separate grades – first molasses, second molasses (dark) and blackstrap.  There is also a new (and more expensive) breed called ‘organic molasses’. Any of these can be sulfured or unsulfured.  We will discuss each of these grades at length in later articles.

Studies suggest a link between molasses extract and a decrease in obesity.

The Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB) recently revealed findings that suggest that molasses extract assists in weight loss.  The study, to be publicly announced at the upcoming SSIB annual meeting, has compiled data that shows lower body fat in test subjects given extract as a supplement to a high-fat diet.

Doctor Richard Weisinger conducted and published the experimental results, along with L. Stahl, D.P. Begg and M. Jois. The study used mice as test subjects.  Participants were separated into two groups.  One group was allowed to eat a high-fat diet.  An second group was given the same high-fat diet, with the addition of a dose of 4% molasses extract.

The result? The subjects that were given extract supplementation showed reduced body fat, as well as decreased amounts of leptin. (Note: Leptin is a fat-produced hormone.)

The fat reduction may be, at least in part, triggered by “caloric excretion”, which is a side effect of molasses extract supplementation.  In short, the extract suppresses the amount of calories the body extracts from food.

You eat the same amount, but less of your intake is turned into energy. Thus, there is less excess energy to be stored as fat.

“The addition of molasses extract to a high fat diet appears to reduce body weight and body fat levels primarily through reduced caloric absorption,” says Weisinger. “… molasses extract might be a way to address the escalating rates of overweight and obesity.”

The SSIB annual meeting was held a the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater, Florida. The meeting ran from  July 12 to July 16, 2011.

Studies have yet to be conducted with the use of human test subjects. Clinical studies are expect to take place in 2012.  However, many individuals are adding molasses extract to their diet in order to see if it proves beneficial.