A new direct-fire cooker from Coastal Molasses Systems, LLC, is giving Westway Feed Products a way to  custom cook molasses feed supplements on site -- and place the final product in recyclable, weather-resistant tubs.

A new compact "direct fire" system allows higher cooking temperatures for processing molasses for feed and opens up opportunity for many feed makers to boost efficiency and product line.

The installation at Westway's Catoosa, Okla. site is the first in the country. It allows maximum efficiency in reducing water and crystallizing sugar within molasses during the process and eliminates the possibility of charring usually associated with such cooking methods. In addition,  the process allows a feed company to adjust the finished hardness of the product to meet changing weather conditions, and that helps producers maintain even consumption regardless of temperatures or humidity.

Westway officials say the new equipment heats molasses higher than traditional methods, then cools it to just over room temperature before mixing it with dry ingredients.

Jeff Brown, Coastal Molasses, says the system will make it possible for feed and other manufacturers to add processed molasses manufacturing to their facilities with minimum space and energy and labor costs.