Biological Treatment of Molasses Meal to Reduce Stickiness

Molasses meal is a popular stock feed which is manufactured from two by-products of the sugar milling process, namely cane flour and molasses. Cane flour, or pulp, is prepared from bagasse by separating the pithy fraction and then drying and milling it. In this form it is capable of absorbing up to four times its own weight of molasses. One such stock feed, produced in Natal, is made up of 75% molasses and 25% cane flour. The molasses used has the following approximate analysis: moisture 22-26 %, protein 3-4%, carbohydrates 61.7% and ash 8.6%. The carbohydrates consist of 36.4% sucrose, 13.39% invert sugars, 0.63% starch, and 4.69% gums. The meal itself has the following average analysis: 19.0% moisture, 4.4% protein, 0.8% fat, 59.1 % carbohydrates, 8.4% fibre, and 8.3% ash. Molasses meals have gradually increased in popularity as a stock feed, although they suffer from one important drawback which detracts from their wider use, namely their stickiness. Thus, when bags of morasses meal are stacked and transported, the contents tend to become compact and lumpy and, as a result, it is difficult to mix it with other ingredients to prepare a balanced ration. This stickiness was thought to be due to the gums present in the molasses itself, but to clarify this point, the fate of the gums was examined in detail.