Soy molasses facts for kids

Soy molasses is a thick, brown syrup. It has a slightly sweet and bitter taste. It's a special liquid that comes from soybeans.

This syrup is a "by-product." This means it's something left over when people make other things from soybeans. Specifically, it's made when they produce soy protein concentrate.

The name "soy molasses" was first used by Daniel Chajuss in the 1960s. He wanted to give it a unique name. This helped people tell it apart from other soybean liquids.

How Soy Molasses Is Made

Soy molasses is made from soybean flakes. First, the oil is taken out of the soybeans. Then, a special liquid is used to pull out certain parts of the soybeans.

After this, the alcohol is removed from the liquid. This is done by heating it up, which makes the alcohol evaporate. What's left is a watery mix of sugars and other good stuff from the soy.

This watery mix is then heated more. This makes it thicker, like honey. This thick, sweet liquid is soy molasses.

What's Inside Soy Molasses

Soy molasses is about half solid material. Most of these solids are carbohydrates, which are a type of sugar. About 60% of the solids are carbohydrates.

It also contains about 10% protein and other nitrogen-rich things. Minerals make up another 10%. The rest, about 20%, is fats and other similar substances.

The main sugars in soy molasses are oligosaccharides like stachyose and raffinose. There's also sucrose, which is common table sugar. Small amounts of fructose and glucose are also present.

Other small parts include saponins, isoflavones, and other natural materials.

Uses of Soy Molasses

Soy molasses has many uses, especially in animal feed. It's added to mixed feeds to help make pellets. It can be sprayed onto soybean meal or mixed with soy hulls. It's also used in liquid diets for animals.

This syrup can also help with fermentation. It can act as a prebiotic, which helps good bacteria grow in the gut. It's even used as an ingredient in some special breads.

In some places, soy molasses can be burned to create steam. This steam can then be used for energy in factories. It's often burned with another fuel, like natural gas.

Soy molasses is an important product. It provides useful plant chemicals and soy sugars.