An Edible “Extra”

Randy Bragg, specialties division manager. at the blackstrap molasses refining area.

Nearly a century ago, workers at the Port Wentworth sugar refinery couldn’t have envisioned that the dark syrup left over at the end of the refining process – and routinely thrown away as waste – would one day become a value-added product bought by industrial customers such as General Mills and Kellogg’s.

The product, called blackstrap molasses, is captured at the tail end of a refining process that begins with melting and boiling raw sugar to create a pure, clear syrup, which later becomes crystallized white sugar. As the raw sugar is repeatedly boiled and clear syrup captured, the remaining syrup becomes increasingly darker, making it unsuitable as a source for white sugar.

That high-color syrup now is sent by production tank to Randy Bragg and team in Imperial Sugar’s specialties division, which handles the liquid side of the refinery’s business.

Arthur Edwards checks colors of the blackstrap molasses blends in the lab.

“Blackstrap went from being waste to being used for animal feed, and now we make a value-added product out of it and provide it to customers who are looking for a sweetener with precise color and flavor profiles,” says Bragg, specialties division manager.

After the team analyzes, pasteurizes and filters the blackstrap syrup, it’s used as an ingredient in many of the 36 syrup blends designed for large industrial customers, who add the syrup sweeteners to products such as cereals, barbecue sauces, cookies and baked beans.

Straight blackstrap in a spoon might not be pleasing to the taste. Its flavor is strong and not particularly sweet. But when blended with other ingredients, such as golden cane syrup and refiners’ syrup, the flavor takes on a different profile.

“The reason for all the blends is that customers have particular flavors, colors or physical characteristics that they’re looking for,” explains Bragg. “Over the years, they’ve told us what they’re looking for, and we’ve matched their needs.”

In 2007, the edible syrup station at Port Wentworth produced 5.1 million gallons of syrup blends. And 70% of all the syrup blends have blackstrap molasses in them.

“Each customer order is made specifically for that customer,” says Bragg. Finished syrups are packaged and distributed in 55-gallon drums, 275-gallon totes, bulk truck and bulk rail. “We don’t produce anything ahead of time. When we give someone a certificate of analysis, it’s for that single order.”

The certificate of analysis is issued by the edible syrup station’s laboratory, which tests and analyzes samples of each blend as it comes out of production – measuring sucrose, color, pH, ash content and “brix,” or the percentage of solids in the solution.

Each customer order is made specifically for that customer. Finished syrups are packaged and distributed in 55-gallon drums, 275-gallon totes, bulk truck and bulk rail. Steve Smith delivers shipping papers for a bulk delivery to a driver.

“Our station isn’t like the rest of the refinery, where you might be running the same product over and over,” he says. “We may make 10 different products in the same day, so we do all the necessary analysis on the spot.”

Keeping an eye on precise standards and strict control over the production process are what Bragg says keeps the product quality high. “One thing we don’t do is, we don’t use anyone else’s blackstrap. We could buy it on the market to use in syrup blends, but in order to keep tight control, we only use the blackstrap produced in Savannah. That way, we can be hands on, and we know where it’s coming from.”