Cane molasses: what é, how to make it at home and main benefits

Cane molasses is a natural sweetener that can be used to replace sugar, bringing more benefits, especially as it contains more nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and iron. As for the amount of calories, sugarcane molasses has fewer calories per 100 grams due to the presence of fibers, however, you should not abuse the amount, as it can also make you fat.

The molasses is a syrup produced from the evaporation of sugarcane juice or during the production of rapadura, and has strong sweetening power, being recommended about 1 tablespoon per day to ensure its benefits. This natural sweetener can be found at he alth food stores, supermarkets, or made at home.

Key he alth benefits

Due to its nutrients, sugarcane molasses can bring the following he alth benefits:

Preventing and fighting anemia, as it is rich in iron;
Help maintain bone he alth and prevent osteoporosis, as it contains calcium;
Help you relax and control your blood pressure, due to its magnesium content;
Favorite muscle contraction, as it contains phosphorus and potassium;
Strengthen the immune system, as it contains zinc.

Despite the benefits, molasses is still a type of sugar and should be consumed in moderation, being important to remember that it is not a good option in cases of diabetes or kidney disease.

How to make molasses at home

Cane molasses can be made at home through a very time-consuming process, in which the cane juice is cooked and slowly boiled in an uncovered pan for several hours until it forms a more concentrated mixture. To obtain the best results, the pH of the mixture should be maintained at 4, and it may be necessary to add lemon to acidify the mixture.

Furthermore, during the process it is also important to remove the impurities that accumulate on top of the broth in the form of foam.

When the molasses is thicker and bubbling, wait for it to reach 110ºC and then remove from the heat. Finally, the molasses needs to be strained and placed in glass containers, where after being covered, it must be stored with the lid facing down until it cools down.

Other natural sugars

Other natural sugar options that can replace white table sugar are brown sugar and demerara, which are also derived from sugar cane, coconut sugar and honey. The following table provides nutritional information for 100 g of each type of sugar:

Sugar	Energy	Iron	Calcium	Magnesium
Crystal	387 kcal	0, 2 mg	8 mg	1 mg
Mascavo and Demerara	369 kcal	8, 3 mg	127 mg	80 mg
Honey	309 kcal	0, 3 mg	10 mg	6 mg
Melado	297 kcal	5, 4 mg	102 mg	115 mg
Coconut Sugar	380 kcal	-	8 mg	29 mg

It is important to remember that all types of sugars, even natural and organic ones, should be consumed in moderation, as their excess can cause problems such as high triglycerides, high cholesterol, diabetes and liver fat. See more about types of sugar.

Other natural and artificial sweeteners

Sweeteners are options with zero or few calories that can be used to replace sugar, help lose weight and control diseases such as diabetes. There are artificial sweeteners such as Monosodium Cyclamate, Aspartame, Acesulfame Potassium and Sucralose, and sweeteners from natural sources such as Stevia, Thaumatin and Xylitol.

See the following table for the number of calories and the sweetening power of these substances:

Sweetener	Type	Energy (kcal/g)	Sweetening power
Acesulfame K	artificial	0	200 times more than sugar
Aspartame	artificial	4	200 times more than sugar
Cyclamate	artificial	0	40 times more than sugar
Sacharin	artificial	0	300 times more than sugar
Sucralose	artificial	0	600 to 800 times more than sugar
Stevia	natural	0	300 times more than sugar
Sorbitol	natural	4	half the power of sugar
Xylitol	natural	2, 5	same power of sugar
Taumatina	natural	0	3000 times more than sugar
Erythritol	natural	0, 2	has 70% of the sweetness of sugar

As some artificial sweeteners can be linked to he alth problems such as headaches, nausea, changes in the intestinal flora and even the appearance of cancer, the ideal is to use natural sweeteners. In addition, in cases of high blood pressure and renal insufficiency, attention should be paid to the sodium content of sweeteners, and it is important to remember that patients with renal insufficiency should avoid the use of Acesulfame Potassium, as they usually need to reduce potassium consumption in the diet. diet.