What is Molasses?

We were talking about Christmas cookies tonight and my son said, well what exactly is molasses made of?  Is it sugar or something else?  So because I could not answer that question, I decided to find out.  Here is what I found.

From Wikipedia:

Molasses (American & Canadian English) or treacle (British English) is a viscous by-product of the refining of sugarcane, grapes, or sugar beets into sugar. The word comes from the Portuguese melaço, ultimately derived from mel, the Latin word for "honey". The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the source plant, the amount of sugar extracted, and the method employed. Sweet sorghum is known in some parts of the United States as molasses, though it is not a true molasses.

To make molasses, the cane of a sugar plant is harvested and stripped of its leaves. Its juice is extracted usually by crushing or mashing, but also by cutting. The juice is boiled to concentrate it, which promotes the crystallization of the sugar. The result of this first boiling is called first syrup, and it has the highest sugar content because comparatively little sugar has been extracted from the source. First syrup is usually referred to in the Southern states of the USA as "cane syrup", as opposed to molasses. Second molasses is created from a second boiling and sugar extraction, and has a slight bitter tinge to its taste.

The third boiling of the sugar syrup yields blackstrap molasses, known for its robust flavor. The term blackstrap molasses is an Americanism dating from around 1875. The majority of sucrose from the original juice has been crystallized and removed. The food energy content of blackstrap molasses is still mostly from the small remaining sugar content. However, unlike refined sugars, it contains trace amounts of vitamins and significant amounts of several minerals. Blackstrap molasses is a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the daily value of each of those nutrients. Blackstrap has long been sold as a health supplement. It is also used in the manufacture of ethyl alcohol for industry and as an ingredient in cattle feed.

Molasses made from sugar beet are different from sugarcane molasses. Only the syrup left from the final crystal ligation stage are called molasses; intermediate syrups are referred to as high green and low green, and these are recycled within the crystallization plant to maximize extraction. Beet molasses is about 50% sugar by dry weight, predominantly sucrose, but also contains significant amounts of glucose and fructose. Beet molasses are limited in biotin for cell growth; hence, it may need to be supplemented with a biotin source. The non-sugar content includes many salts, such as calcium, potassium, oxalate, and chloride. It also contains the compounds betaine and the trisaccharide raffinose. These are either as a result of concentration from the original plant material or as a result of chemicals used in the processing, and make it unpalatable to humans. Hence it is mainly used as an additive to animal feed (called "molassed sugar beet feed") or as a fermentation feedstock.

There is a LOT more info at Wikipedia.com to read. 

And at these links:

• eHow - What is Molasses good for?
• What is Blackstrap molasses?
• Everyday Health - What the health benefits?
• Find even more at this Bing search page.