Margarine

Margarine is a product familiar to us since childhood. Everyone remembers shelves full of this cheaper butter substitute that has become a staple in the former Soviet Union. After all, many of us used it when cooking, especially when making homemade pastries: a variety of cookies, delicious puffy cakes and more. And suddenly the terrible truth was revealed – it turns out that margarine is a harmful product, since it is produced from oil. Is it so? Let’s figure it out.

A bit of history

In fact, the name “margarine” is rooted deep in history. At the beginning of the 50th century, the French chemist Michel Eugene Chevrel invented margaric acid. And he gave his product a name from the ancient Greek word for “pearl”. Perhaps because the resulting substance had a pearlescent sheen, similar to that of a pearl. Be that as it may, later, XNUMX years later, the French emperor Napoleon III assigns a reward to those who come up with a high-quality, but cheaper analogue of butter, which at that time in France was available only to the aristocratic segments of the population.

The competition was won by another native of France, the chemist Hippolyte Mezhe-Mourier, who proposed to hydrogenate vegetable oil by removing the liquid phase under pressure. After cooling, the product crystallized and made a good oil substitute. He called the resulting product – oleomargarine. Subsequently, the word was shortened to the familiar to us – “margarine”, sometimes by the way it is also called “oleo”. Now it is customary to call margarine any product – a substitute for butter.

During the First World War, its consumption increased significantly, especially in countries that were located dangerously close to the front line. The shortage of dairy products, due to the impossibility of importing them due to hostilities, increased the popularity of this cheaper analogue. Even in the United States, where a fierce campaign to discredit him was carried out before. During the years of the Great Depression, dairy products again took over, and the distribution of margarine was again banned. But the Second World War brought everything back to its place. However, some states still have laws banning the sale of margarine in packs weighing more than half a kilo. And the EU directives say that this product should not be called oil, even if it is its main component.

Composition and production

Margarine is a fat created on the basis of vegetable oils and natural fats of animal origin with the addition of various components. In its production, two types of raw materials are used: the main and auxiliary. The main raw material is the fat base of margarine. It can be both solid fats and vegetable oils. For them, such indicators as fusibility, spreadability, plasticity are very important. Salt, sugar, water, emulsifiers, flavors, various preservatives and vitamins are usually referred as auxiliary raw materials. This also includes milk and butter. All these elements form the so-called water-milk phase of margarine.

The production of a product consists of several operations:

• acceptance of raw materials;
• preparation of raw materials;
• making a prescription;
• tempering;
• mixing fat base, milk and additives;
• emulsification;
• cooling and crystallization;
• plastic processing and packaging.

When accepting raw materials, it is important to make sure of its quality and composition. When preparing, there is a mandatory refining of vegetable oils, a mandatory pasteurization of milk. If butter is used in cooking, then it is first cleaned. Tempering is bringing all the components of a mixture to a certain temperature. During emulsification, the distribution of liquids occurs by constant mixing. In the process of cooling and crystallization of the product, margarine is transformed into the one we are used to seeing on store shelves.

There are several standardized types of margarine:

1. Hard margarine (MT). Mainly used in the food industry.
2. Margarine for lamination (MTS). It is used to make products from puff pastry.
3. Margarine for creams and various confectionery products (MTK).
4. Soft margarine (MM). It is convenient to spread such a product on bread, and, in principle, use it as food.
5. Liquid margarine (MZhK, MZHP). It is used for deep-frying, as well as in the production of bread.

In addition to the above vegetable and animal fats, it also contains a number of vitamins (A and E) and trace elements such as magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium and others. It should be mentioned here that it also contains a decent proportion of trans fats formed during its production.

The calorie content of the finished product is slightly less than butter and is 745 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Any store today can boast a wide range of margarine. It is found on the shelves in both solid and liquid, pasty form. Often you can also see the spread there, but it is not a real margarine. In fact, a spread is just an oil mixture.

Useful Properties

Margarine contains in its composition saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the body.

If this product is made on a plant basis, then it is absolutely devoid of cholesterol, which is so rich in animal fats. Another of its advantages is the price. It is much lower than the price of butter, and therefore this analogue is in demand, especially in baking. Margarine is a powerful source of energy. It can quickly satisfy the feeling of hunger, energize and relieve fatigue.

Harm and dangerous properties of margarine

The content of dangerous and harmful trans fats in margarine, which are obtained during the hydrogenation process, brings the greatest harm when using the product. Consuming them can lead to cardiovascular problems and even increased mortality. The World Health Organization recommends avoiding eating them.

Margarine is a very high-calorie product, and therefore its use can lead to obesity. It is especially dangerous for children, as it is included in their favorite chocolate, pastries and ice cream.

Large consumption of this cheaper analogue of oil can lead to sad consequences. The human digestive system can hardly process the artificial components included in its composition. That is why its regular use in food can cause:

• metabolic disease;
• low immunity;
• excess weight;
• diabetes;
• oncological diseases;
• male infertility.

Also, trans fats are contraindicated during breastfeeding, as they can worsen the quality of milk. And during pregnancy, because they can lead to a lack of weight in babies born at term.

Recently, more and more often they say that European margarines do not contain these dangerous components, since their production technology is significantly different from ours. But at the same time, the price, which is so attractive in the domestic product, also differs, only upwards and noticeably approaches the price of butter. Under such conditions, it is better to opt for a natural product than for a more expensive, even if high-quality, analogue. In addition, the artificial components that make up margarine can cause allergic reactions.

Selection rules and storage conditions

When choosing a quality product, you need to pay attention to several factors. One of them is the price. Trying to save money is easy to hurt yourself. The cheapest types of margarine can be made from products that are far from healthy for the body. Read the product packaging carefully. It is desirable that it does not include dyes and flavors.

Choose a product preferably in food-grade aluminum foil packages. In it, it is better preserved. The color of margarine should be uniform, free of stains and smudges. The product should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 months. If its taste has acquired a sour metallic taste, such a product is spoiled and it is time to get rid of it.

Conclusions

As you can see, there is no talk of any oil. Margarine is just a product created by mixing natural or modified vegetable oils and animal fats. It was created precisely in order to replace butter, which was expensive at that time, and successfully performed its function. This substitute, having many disadvantages, due to the hydrogenated fats included in its composition, is nevertheless widely used in the food industry. It is especially popular in the confectionery industry. But, it is worth noting that if high-quality products are used in the production of margarine, then the harm from its use is noticeably reduced.

If you approach the issue of choosing artificial oil from the point of view of minimal harmfulness, then you should look at more expensive types of the product and study its composition. Expensive European analogues of substances hazardous to health contain very small amounts or none at all.

Do not abuse margarine for children, nursing mothers and pregnant women. Since there is a risk of allergies, due to the fact that this product is artificial, modified, and may contain preservatives and emulsifiers that are unnecessary for the body. But this restriction can be applied to other products that are undesirable for this category of consumers.

It is impossible not to mention that for all its disadvantages, margarine is a high-calorie product, and therefore is a good source of energy and vigor. It is rich in unsaturated acids, vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for the healthy functioning of the body. In fact, if you use it in moderate doses, and try to use a higher quality product, then it will not bring harm to health. He’s not as scary as they say he is. Or they want to think so.