Black strap molasses is produced as a thick liquid byproduct of the sugar refining industry.  The four main sugar sources are sugarcane (blackstrap), sugar beet (beet), corn (hydro) and wood (lignin). 

Molasses is a carbohydrate feed supplement, often mistaken as a protein.  Combined with an absorbent or "carrier" this ingredient is an excellent energy source that is highly palatable and digestible.  Its color, dark brown to gold, and taste, sweet to bitter, may vary depending on the heat crystallization process of sucrose or sugar.  

After the heat crystallization process, a brownish liquid residue remains.  This molasses contains uncrystallized sugars and remnant sucrose crystals.  

Following this procedure centrifuges are used to help release molasses of the sucrose crystals.  Often these steps are repeated producing the molasses ingredient used in animal feed.

The quality of molasses is determined by its sugar content, which is expressed by the term brix.  Brix is found by measuring the specific gravity of molasses then taking the value and applying it to a conversion table from which the level of sucrose (or degree of brix) can be determined.

Once the sugar refining process is finalized, CK has a barge load of liquid molasses shipped on the Mississippi River to River Terminal Corporation, our sister company.

CK pumps the barge directly into molasses lines leading to the CK facility just over the Mississippi River levee. The liquid molasses goes into storage tanks.

Before the manufacturing process begins, the liquid molasses is standardized. This means water may be added to bring the brix level to the standard industrial feed grade of 79.5 brix. After this process, the standardized molasses is pumped into CK production tanks.

Meanwhile, we have soybean hull millfeed delivered daily by the semi loads. This product goes straight to storage tanks until it is needed.

When the manufacturing process begins molasses, millfeed and water are combined to create a wet mix. This wet mix is sent through a drying drum creating dry molasses.

After the molasses dries, it is sent through a cooling processes. Then the product is ready to be bagged or stored in bulk.

Throughout the dry molasses process, the ingredients are constantly monitored by several production specialists. These specialists have hands on training to help ensure that CK is making the superior feed ingredient.