Molasses deterioration is a common phenomenon during storage in the tanks. Molasses has a tendency to undergo rapid destruction & ultimately leading to know about spontaneous combustion. The phenomenon of spontaneous combustion occurs purely by virtue of certain chemical reactions. Basically, it is an “exothermic reaction”.
This combustion is due to the reaction of unstable organic substances (Originally produced by the action of lime upon the reducing sugar of cane during clarification) with further quantities of reducing sugar in molasses which results in the formation of dark coloured colloidal impurities of high carbon content.