Information AboutMargarine |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MARGARINE | |
| spreads | |
| cooking fats | |
|
Margarine, as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of Butter -substitutes. In many parts of the world, margarine has become the best-selling table spread, although butter and Olive Oil also command large market shares. Margarine is an ingredient in the preparation of many other foods. In informal speech people commonly refer to margarine as '''butter''', but (at least in the United States ) laws forbid food packaging to refer to margarine as "butter". Recipes sometimes refer to margarine as '''oleo''' (see below) or as ''' Shortening '''. HISTORY Margarine has a long and sometimes confusing history. Its name originates with the discovery by Michel Eugène Chevreul in 1813 of "margaric acid" (itself named after the pearly deposits of the fatty acid, from Greek ''margaron'', meaning "a pearl-oyster" or "a pearl"). Scientists at the time regarded margaric acid, like Oleic Acid and Stearic Acid , as one of the three Fatty Acid s which, in combination, formed most Animal Fat s. In 1853 the German chemist Wilhem H. Heintz analyzed margaric acid as simply a combination of stearic acid and of the previously unknown Palmitic Acid . In Hippolyte Mège-Mouriés invented a substance he called oleomargarine, the name of which became shortened to the trade name "Margarine". ''Margarine'' now refers Generically to any of a range of broadly similar edible Oil s. Some people have also shortened the name ''oleomargarine'' to '''oleo'''. Manufacturers produced oleomargarine by taking clarified to the United States in 1873 , he had little commercial success. By the end of the decade both the Old World and the New could buy artificial butters. From that time on, two main trends would dominate the margarine , which defended its Monopoly with vigour. As early as 1877 the first American states had passed laws to restrict the sale and labelling of margarine. By the mid- 1880s the United States federal government had introduced a tax of two cents per pound, and devotees needed an expensive license to make or sell the product. More importantly, individual states began to require the clear labelling of margarine, banning passing it off as real butter. The key to slowing margarine sales (and protecting the established dairy industries), however, emerged as restricting its color. Margarine naturally appears white or almost white: by forbidding the addition of artificial colouring-agents, legislators found that they could keep margarine off kitchen tables. Bans on coloration became commonplace around the world and endured for almost 100 years. It did not become legal to sell colored margarine in Australia , for example, until the 1960s . It remains illegal to sell colored margarine in Quebec , Canada . Quebec margarine has a pale straw colour. Margarine In the USA In United States, the color bans, drafted by the butter lobby, began in the dairy states of s). However, by the end of the 1910s it had become more popular than ever. With the coming of World War I , margarine consumption increased enormously, even in relatively lightly hit regions like the United States. In the countries closest to the fighting, dairy products became almost unobtainable and were strictly Rationed . The United Kingdom , for example, depended on imported butter from Australia and New Zealand and the risk of Submarine attack meant that little arrived. Margarine became the Staple spread, and butter a rare and expensive Luxury . The long-running battle between the margarine industry and the dairy still prohibits the retail sale of margarine in packages larger than one pound {Link without Title} . MARGARINE TODAY In the meantime, margarine manufacturers had made many changes. Modern margarine can be made from any of a wide variety of animal or vegetable fats, and is often mixed with Skimmed Milk , Salt , and emulsifiers. In terms of microstructure, margarine is a water-in-oil Emulsion , containing dispersed water droplets of typically 5-10 µm diameter. The amount of Crystallising fat in the continuous oil+fat phase determines the firmness of the product. In the relevant temperature range, saturated fats contribute most to the amount of crystalline fat, whereas mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats contribute relatively little to the amount of crystalline fat in the product. Mono- and poly-unsaturated fats and oils can be transformed into suitable Substrate s by the chemical process of Hydrogenation , which renders them solid at room temperature. Full hydrogenation results in saturated fats only, but Partial Hydrogenation will lead to the formation of trans-fats as well (see The Trans Fat Issue ). Three main types of margarine are common:
Many popular table spreads today are blends of margarine and butter — something that was long illegal in countries including the United States and Australia — and are designed to combine the lower cost and easy-spreading of artificial butter with the taste of the real thing. Margarine, particularly polyunsaturated margarine, has become a major part of the Western diet. In the United States, for example, in 1930 the average person ate over 18 lb (8 Kg) of butter a year and just over 2 lb (900g) of margarine. By the end of the 20th century, an average American ate just under 4 lb (1.8 Kg) of butter and nearly 8 lb (3.6 Kg) of margarine. Under European Union directives, margarine products cannot be called "butter", even if most of it consists of natural butter. In some European countries butter based table spreads and margarine products are marketed as "butter mixtures". The United States imports 10 billion pounds (4.5 million tons) of margarine a year. Additionally, the United States exports 2 billion pounds (900,000 tons) of margarine annually. THE TRANS FAT ISSUE Conventional margarine contains a much higher proportion of so-called Trans Fat s than butter. Because research shows a correlation between diets high in ''trans'' fats and Coronary Heart Disease , margarine has come to be perceived by many as unhealthy. Others argue that margarine remains healthier than butter, because butter's higher saturated fat content poses a greater hazard than margarine's ''trans'' fats. In response to trans fat concerns and government demands for labelling, margarine manufacturers are making and selling new varieties that contain less or no trans fat. In particular, tub margarine is sometimes lower in trans fat than stick margarine, but tub margarine is usually too soft to be suitable for baking. IS MARGARINE BETTER FOR YOU? Harvard University researchers, in a 1994 study, reported that people who consumed Hydrogenated oils, such as margarine, had nearly twice the risk of Heart Attack s as those who consumed little or no hydrogenated oils. Several large studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study conducted by Harvard School Of Public Health has indicated a strong link between earlier death and consumption of high amounts of trans-fat. The American Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ), the National Heart, Lung And Blood Institute and the American Heart Association ( AHA ) all have recommended people to limit intake of trans-fat. For this reason, margarine manufacturers have been reducing the amount of trans-fats in their products since the mid-nineties. The US federal government requires by 2006 the labelling of all food in such a way as to disclose amounts of trans-fat in products. Many brands label their products legally now as "zero grams" trans-fat, which in fact means less than 500 mg trans-fat per serving." REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|