Molasses Unfermentables

[packapoo]

Thinking out loud here....

Frequently read mention of 'the unfermentables in molasses' when reading of rum washes, especially in the reading of SG or Brix.
Does anyone have any idea what these unferms might be please?

Coming from where it does, either cane or beet, guessing would be starch based?
Maybe mashing molasses with enzyme may help to release some of the unferms?

[Easydrinker]

I am happy to be corrected, but consider them to be something like, if not, cellulose.
The vegetal type and not what lots of larger ladies fret about!

Robert.

[Toper]

As I understand it:

When mashing to produce a beer, the recommended procedures are specifically calculated to leave a certain level of unfermentable solids. These are the very things which give a beer 'body'.

For some, a stepped mash, intended purely for distillation, reduces such unfermantables making a stepped mash (lacking body) unsuitable for beer production. The idea being that maximising enzyme activity at different temperature levels reduces such unfermentable elements, making the mash unsuitable for beer production, but, possibly, better suited for distillation by maximising fermentables.

In the case of all grain mashing, many argue that modern grains no longer require stepped mashing. I tend to the opinion that if a mashing procedure produces a beer with body, then a different procedure might be more beneficial when intending to distil.

Such unfermentables do markedly hydrometer reading both at the start and the finish. I tend to read the 'drop' as an indicator of how much sugar has been used.

With molasses one tends to know the estimated sugar content and, therefore, by measuring the 'drop' , ignoring actual level readings, one knows when all potential sugar content has been used.

[RumJohn]

@ Pack: I wouldn't worry about the unfermentables in a sugar/molasses based wash. In the first place they will be minimal in relation to the fermentable portion.

As for the starting SG, take your readings anyway. Use them as a guideline for starting and finishing if you are concerned. I do. Don't get hung up on this.

N.B. Do take your starting SG prior to pitching yeast.

[packapoo]

Thanks for your considerations gentlemen....

Ed - Ahh cellulose. I'd overlooked that.
Toper - you've shared an insight I'd missed, but expands my thoughts. Very interesting.
RJ - With you there. Actually my practise has been to follow as you've stated.

Unferments and SG/Brix readings are only a small part of what I'm puzzling - trying to unlock any sugars contained within the 'unferms', but as Ed says could be cellulose and so of no help.

[Myles]

This usually gets mentioned as a result of the Arroyo patent for rum.

In those days molasses was quite a low grade product containing ash, waxes and unfermentable sugars.

The clarifying process recomended, resulted in inversion of the sugars and removal of a lot of junk.

Whether you need to do it these days depends entirely on the quality of your molasses