Abstract
This chapter discusses the composition of cane juice as a necessary background for any discussion of cane final molasses. Cane juice is an aqueous solution circulating in the living plant and carrying materials required for growth and metabolism. Therefore, it is extremely complex. It distinguishes itself from other plant juices or saps by its characteristically high content of sucrose. The other carbohydrates in cane juice are the soluble polysaccharides vaguely classified under the terms, “hemi-celluloses, soluble gums and pectins.” Hydrolyzing and color-producing enzymes or enzyme systems are active in raw cane juice and both contribute to the formation of molasses. Application of amino acid paper chromatography to the cations removed from cane juice by ion-exchange resins indicated the presence of leucine (or isoleucine), valine, γ-aminobutyric acid, alanine, glycine, serine, asparagine, glutamic and aspartic acids, lysine, and glutamine. The occurrence in cane juice of acids such as malic, succinic, glycolic, formic, ands oxalic has been based only on qualitative tests and analytical methods.
Published Version
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