What is the difference between margarine and butter when baking? What is the difference between butter and margarine? Which is better for baking: margarine or butter? Which is better: vegetable oil or margarine?

Fats are necessary for humans as a source of energy. They provide a person with natural thermal insulation and protection from the cold. Vitamins such as A, C, E, K are taken by the body in the presence of fats. Fat-free diets can be harmful. If there is not enough fat, the skin becomes dry, the hair becomes dull, and the muscles weaken. High-quality fats in reasonable quantities will only benefit a person. Fats are not produced by the human body; they come from food.

Food fried in oil or margarine, cereals with butter, and flour products with added fat are included in the daily diet. Butter and margarine are used in cooking as an ingredient for making products and are not consumed as a separate dish.

Oil

Butter is a natural product of animal origin; the basis for its production is cow's milk. Butter has the taste and aroma of cream; it retains all the microelements and vitamins present in milk. The color of the oil produced is white and light yellow. There are several types of oil, differing in fat content from 72 to 82.5%.: creamy, peasant, amateur. There are two known ways to obtain the product: churning cream and converting heavy cream.

The production of butter by churning cream consists of several stages:

Separation of milk - the result is cream of 35-45% fat content.
Pasteurization of cream - at a temperature of 85-95 degrees, the present microflora is destroyed.
Deodorization - foreign feed impurities are removed.
Cooling and ripening of cream - the raw material matures for 2-4 hours at a low temperature of 1-8 degrees, the consistency becomes thick.
Churning - the process takes place in a rotating wooden barrel or metal cylinder. The cream is separated into the butter grain and the liquid part (buttermilk). The oil part is separated from the buttermilk, washed 1-2 times and squeezed out with special rollers.

The resulting dense oil layer is packaged in a specific container. The color of the oil is light yellow; there may be small droplets of liquid on the cut. This method is rarely used due to low productivity.

Production of butter by converting high-fat cream:

Separation of milk and then cream - during double processing, the fat content of the cream increases to 72.0-82.0%.
The resulting mass, which has a thick consistency, ripens for 2-3 days at a temperature of 12-15 degrees. In progress thermomechanical treatment raw materials are maintained at a temperature of 60-95 degrees. The resulting oil has a uniform consistency and a pleasant creamy taste.

Margarine is a product based on vegetable oil. The fat portion is 82 % , the remaining 18% are various additives. The required components are an emulsifier, water, salt, sugar, and preservatives. Flavorings, dyes, milk powder, animal fats are used depending on the type of product.

Margarine was created in the 19th century as a cheap butter substitute. In the developing Soviet Union, margarine production began in 1928, and this product is still in demand today. Based on consistency, margarine is divided into hard, soft and liquid. According to purpose, they can be divided into 3 grades: table, sandwich and for industrial production.

Margarine manufacturing technology:

Hydrogenation of oil - the process of saturation with hydrogen atoms fatty acids. During saturation, the cell formula of vegetable fats changes. During the process, the temperature is maintained from 190 to 220 degrees, resulting in the formation of a hardened mass - lard. Nickel salt is used as catalysts, which increases the surface of contact of fat with hydrogen atoms.
Emulsification - combining the resulting mass with emulsifiers to create a uniform, dense texture. During the processing of vegetable oil, trans fats are formed, excessive consumption of which increases cholesterol levels in the body. When deciding to use margarine in your diet, you should choose a soft variety that contains 8% trans fats. The color of margarine depends on the dyes; it is produced in a yellowish tint.

Key indicators for comparison in 100 g

Calorie content/cal - 661
Fat % (average) - 73.0
Proteins% - 0.74
Carbohydrates% - 1.3
Water% - 24.5
Vitamins, microelements% - 0.46
Cholesterol mg - 170

Calorie content/cal - 740
Fat % (average) - 82.0
Proteins% - 0.3
Carbohydrates% - 1.0
Water% - 16.2
Vitamins, microelements% - 0.5
Cholesterol mg - 0

Upon visual inspection, butter and margarine differ little from each other. In the food industry and cooking, these fats have the same purpose.

Differences

Price difference. Margarine is much cheaper than butter. Products made with the addition of margarine are available to all segments of the population.
Organoleptic indicators. In terms of taste, butter wins due to its delicate creamy base. The butter melts in your mouth, enhancing and softening the taste of the dish. Margarine has a viscous consistency and is more noticeable on the tongue during consumption. Added flavorings add flavor and aroma.
The benefits and harms of oil. Butter supplies the body with healthy animal fats, microelements and vitamins contained in milk. Excessive oil consumption contributes to the development of atherosclerosis.
The benefits and harms of margarine. Margarine also supplies the body with fats that can hardly be called healthy. With frequent consumption of margarine, trans fats replace natural fats involved in the structure of the body. The human body receives counterfeit building material. Disturbances in the functioning of the heart, blood vessels, diabetes, and weight problems will result from changes in the body. It is especially not recommended to use margarine in baby food. Margarine has fully justified its assigned secondary role of replacing butter, and is rapidly rushing to the main role.

I remember a television program in the early 90s, in which a young journalist dealt with the question: “How is margarine made, and is it healthier than butter?” I don’t know what served as a more significant informational reason for television people back then - the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, which was then gaining momentum in our country, or the general concern about filling refrigerators with cheaper products. One way or another, the young man walked the streets and asked the same question to different people: “What do you think is healthier - margarine or butter? One old woman then told him: “Of course, butter, son!” “Why, grandma?” “Because I make it myself!” – it sounded proud.

At first glance, this is not a very logical answer, but the grandmother meant that she knows what this oil is made from, that is, she is confident in its quality. And in fact, why on earth were people, accustomed to natural, healthy, so familiar butter, forced to impose a cheap surrogate?

It turns out that margarine owes its origin to the French Emperor Napoleon III, as well as, of course, to the development of organic chemistry. In the 60s of the 19th century, this philanthropic emperor established a prize for inventing a method for producing a new edible fat. Needed a butter substitute. The goal, of course, was not concern for the healthy lifestyle of the subjects, but the need to provide cheap food to the army and the poor. Obviously, the chemist Mege-Mourier received the prize, because it was he who became known as the inventor of margarine, or oleomargarine.

A Russian cookbook from the late 19th century describes the process of creating artificial butter as follows: “Margarine was prepared from the best beef fat, and with the best neatness and legibility. This product was processed with an equal amount of sour milk, resulting in solid fat."

Naturally, in the pursuit of profits, production then began to acquire features that are very familiar to us. They learned to replace high-quality raw materials with cheaper ones. The fat of other animals was used, which was of low quality, stale and even contaminated. Subsequently, there was a tendency towards the introduction of vegetable oils into the starting material, which, due to their low cost, ultimately became the main starting product for the production of margarine.

In the 20th century, margarine began to be preferred not only because of its cheapness, but also under the influence of the anti-cholesterol campaign. The fact is that, being a product of plant origin, margarine does not contain cholesterol. Particularly noticeable was the imposition of margarine on consumers as a substitute for butter in the 60s of the last century, when scientists discovered the mechanism of formation of cholesterol plaques.

However, later information began to appear that margarine was not nearly as harmless as it had previously been described. Ordinary margarine is produced by heat treatment of vegetable oil in the presence of a catalyst, which leads to a side effect - the formation of so-called trans fats (or rather, an increase in their amount compared to the original product - vegetable oil). Studies have shown a connection between the content of trans fats in food and the development of coronary disease. And the controversy broke out with renewed vigor.

So, grandma was right? So, is butter healthier? In fairness, it should be noted that modern margarine production uses high-quality raw materials and manufacturing methods that minimize the content of harmful substances, while simultaneously saturating margarine with vitamins.

When deciding which product to choose for your family, let's use common sense and our own taste. At the same time, there are well-known dietary and culinary rules for the use of fats in cooking.

Fat intake should be limited.

Vegetable oil (liquid, natural) is very healthy, but you can’t live without animal fats either. For example, eating 30 grams of butter per day is good for preventing cancer.

There are certain culinary techniques for using fats:
It is better to fry in vegetable oil or with the addition of butter.
A small amount of butter should be consumed in its natural form, without overheating it, that is, on a sandwich or in porridge.
And margarine is indispensable in baking.

Many housewives have been interested in the question for several decades: is margarine in baking harmful to health? What consequences can result from consuming this product, and is there data on the benefits and harms?

It is almost impossible to refuse homemade baked goods, despite the abundance of such products on the shelves of modern supermarkets. Homemade pies, pies and buns have a special charm, even their taste is very different. Such food is prepared with love; family members and guests enjoy eating homemade products.

For many decades, margarine has been the basis for baking. Of course, today there is an opinion that this product is harmful to health, so advanced housewives try to replace it with butter or other dairy products. However, our ancestors did not see any harm in margarine, added it to all baked goods, and no side effects were found.

Butter or margarine?

For many years there has been a fierce debate about which is better - butter or margarine for baking? Promoters of a healthy lifestyle claim that margarine is harmful, it negatively affects health, it contains a lot of cholesterol and harmful fats, so its use leads to serious consequences.

However, many housewives still use this particular product despite the well-known benefits of the oil. So, what is the difference between these products, which one is better and safer?

Pros and cons of oil

Butter is a product made entirely from natural cream. The component is whipped to the desired consistency. One tablespoon of butter contains:

30 mg of bad cholesterol.
7 g of fat with harmful fatty acids.

Note! In order to avoid health problems, you should exclude oil, which is high in fatty acids, from your diet. An excess of this substance can harm the arterial system.

People who cannot refuse to eat butter, even knowing its harm, are advised to pay attention to those types of products that contain less fat and cholesterol. As a rule, today it is not difficult to find good oil, produced with the addition of olive or canola oil. In this form, it is easier to digest, which has a better effect on human health.

In baking, butter beats margarine because its fat content reaches eighty percent. Due to this, the adze turns out tender, soft and rosy. It is worth understanding that oil created with the addition of other components will not produce a similar effect, so you need to choose the product carefully.

It is important to consider that butter melts quite quickly, so it is unlikely to be suitable for making puff pastry. Moreover, to create creams it is necessary to use odorless oil, otherwise the aroma will remain on the finished products.

Pros and cons of margarine

Unlike butter, margarine is not a natural product. It is produced by adding hydrogen molecules to vegetable oil, resulting in a mass of medium or high hardness that looks like regular butter.

Many products of this nature contain hydrogenated fats, which can cause serious harm - they significantly reduce the content of good cholesterol, necessary for the body, and increase the amount of bad things that are harmful to the body. The harm of margarine is to increase the risk of cardiovascular and arterial diseases.

When purchasing, you should focus on margarine marked “soft” - in such a product the content of hydrogenated fats is either completely absent or significantly lower than a dangerous level.

For baking, even with great popularity among older generations, margarine is not the best solution. Despite its low price, this product can ruin a dish instead of making it tasty and attractive. The fact is that the fat content in margarine is only thirty-five percent, the rest of the composition is ordinary water. This is why baked goods made with margarine will simply spread across the pan and burn.

Besides:

Trans fats contained in margarine easily penetrate the body's cells, creating fertile ground for malignant tumors. Therefore, people with serious illnesses should avoid using this product.
The use of margarine by people whose diet contains mayonnaise and other sauces is strictly not recommended - these products also contain harmful trans fats that can harm the body. When combined with margarine, the result is a dangerous mixture that instantly destroys good cholesterol, saturating the body with bad cholesterol.

Note! In some recipes, margarine is the main component and is prescribed specifically - in this case, you must adhere to the recommendations and strictly follow the step-by-step instructions.

Soft margarine, despite popular belief, is much safer than butter. It’s not for nothing that when choosing margarine or butter, housewives often read the ingredients. The soft product contains a minimal amount of harmful cholesterol and fats that are hazardous to health, which is why this product is excellent for preparing a variety of dishes.

The only thing the housewife needs to take into account is that baked goods made with margarine are likely to burn or spread.

Margarine has a rather specific taste and smell. As a rule, when baking, these qualities of the product are completely preserved, and all buns and pies acquire the taste of margarine. Despite this, housewives still do not give up margarine, giving it preference due to its low price and difficult heating.

Spread

Another popular product used for baking is spread. It is created from a mixture of a variety of fats - both animal and vegetable. Natural cream, milk are often added to the product, and any vegetable oil is also present in the composition.

This product often replaces the usual margarine and butter, not only due to its affordable price, but also due to the content of natural ingredients in its composition.

Video: margarine, spread or butter?

Vegetable oil

One of the safest, but at the same time no less popular products for baking, is vegetable oil. Its main advantage is that its composition almost always contains exclusively natural ingredients. Moreover, manufacturers try to avoid harmful cholesterol in the product, so the harm to health is minimal.

Despite the fact that technological progress allows us to use any products, get acquainted with their composition and replace them with analogues, margarine is still popular.

The experience of past years shows that there is nothing fatal in the use of margarine - our parents and grandparents used this artificial substance for years, masterfully creating delicious homemade pies and delighting guests and family members with baked goods created with warmth and love.

France is considered the birthplace of margarine: it was there that the chemist Hippolyte Mege-Mourier created it; later this product spread throughout the world as a cheap substitute for butter, similar in composition and taste.

However, several studies have shown that margarine has not only beneficial but also harmful properties for the human body.

What is margarine made from?

Margarine is a product obtained by processing vegetable fats and oils. It is completely of vegetable origin, and this is its main difference from butter.

Raw materials used for the production of margarine

In the production of margarine, there are main and auxiliary raw materials.

The main raw materials are fats that make up the fat base, which in most types of margarine accounts for about 82% (in margarine with flavoring additives - 62%). The fat base consists of the following components (in%):

Salomas (hydrogenated fat) from vegetable oils and fats of marine mammals – 8-30,
Natural vegetable oil – 8-25,
Coconut or palm kernel oil - 10-25 (not all margarine is added).

The fat base of soft bulk and liquid margarines includes significantly more liquid vegetable oils - 40-60 and 80%, respectively.

Auxiliary raw materials include:

Butter,
Milk,
Flavoring additives (salt, sugar, cocoa powder, etc.),
Flavors,
Emulsifiers,
Vitamins,
Dyes,
Preservatives,
Drinking water.

Manufacturing technology

The production process is as follows:

The raw materials are tempered and sent for storage;
Milk is prepared, more often water is prepared, which is to be processed along with butter;
Additional components necessary to create the desired consistency and increase the shelf life of margarine are prepared: emulsifiers, flavorings, etc.);
A special emulsion is prepared;
The finished composition undergoes crystallization, supercooling and tempering, then is sent to a separate mixer, where emulsification occurs.

The final stage is sending the composition to the crystallizer, where it acquires the necessary plasticity and hardness. Trans fats, which are formed during the manufacturing process of the product, are especially harmful to health.

In addition to margarine, you can find its analogues on store shelves - spreads. They are produced using the same technology, but at the legislative level they have strict requirements for the content of harmful trans fats, while there are no such restrictions in Russia for margarine.

What is the difference between margarine and butter?

This is a reasonable question that many people ask, because margarine tastes almost the same as butter, but costs a little less. What are the differences between them?

How to distinguish margarine from butter

Butter is a natural product made from cow's milk or cream. Margarine is an artificially created product from animal and vegetable fats. Despite the significant difference in composition, it is sometimes very difficult for an ordinary buyer to distinguish them, which is what unscrupulous manufacturers take advantage of.

So, let’s learn to choose high-quality and natural:

The words “natural” and “environmentally friendly” are not yet an indication that this is oil. “Light butter”, “Sandwich butter” is essentially margarine. The phrase “Butter” must be written. Also in favor of butter are words like “Cow butter” or “Made from cream.”
If GOST number R 52969-2008 is indicated on the package, this is butter. However, here you need to be careful and pay attention to the price. If a 200-gram pack costs 19 rubles, most likely it is a fake. Real oil should cost at least 30-40 rubles per package.
Check the composition of the product on the package. Butter is made only from milk or cream. If the composition contains vegetable fats (peanut, coconut, palm oil, or even a “dairy fat substitute”), you have margarine!
You can distinguish butter from margarine experimentally, but only at home: leave the purchased pack for one hour on the kitchen table. If drops of water “fog up” appear on it, it is margarine. The same conclusion will be if a piece from a pack dropped into water does not dissolve evenly, but separates into particles.
The color of the oil can range from whitish to pale yellow, but the oil from the same batch should have a uniform hue. The color of margarine is more saturated yellow, but modern margarine producers have learned to lighten margarine by adding a certain percentage of milk to it.
Butter has virtually no smell. And you certainly shouldn’t feel any odor when you sniff the selected product through the paper packaging.
Salt is allowed in butter.

People's differences and advice

Butter should be applied to the bread, and margarine should be spread.
If you melt butter at home, it will solidify into a uniform mass - melted butter, and the margarine will separate into the fatty part and a layer of milky water.
Standing at the refrigerator counter, run your finger along the edge of the package, pressing lightly: the cooled butter will be harder and the edge of the packaged bar will feel hard under your finger. Chilled margarine or spread is much softer; the edge of the package will be crushed under your finger.
Frozen butter chips and breaks, but margarine remains plastic and is easy to cut and spread.
Butter from the refrigerator should not ripple or crumble. When cutting into a thin layer, the butter should curl.This effect will not work with margarine. If the oil prickles and crumbles, it means there are artificial additives in it.
A piece of butter in your mouth will evenly melt without a trace, and the margarine in your mouth will smear and stick to the roof of your mouth.
Butter leaves a pleasant creamy aftertaste, while margarine leaves a nasty and unnatural aftertaste.
In the cold, margarine does not harden like butter, but when room temperature margarine holds its shape worse than butter.

What is the difference between margarine and spread?

The spread is a pasty product made from natural ingredients: vegetable oils and milk fats. It is considered to be a cross between butter and margarine. It is not so popular in Russia, but in other countries it is already actively beginning to compete with the two leading products. In our country, according to GOST, the spread is divided into three categories:

Creamy vegetable (milk fat content is about 50%, which is very similar to butter);
Vegetable-cream (milk fat is contained in sizes up to 40%);
Vegetable-fat (virtually no difference with margarine).

The main difference between the spread and margarine is that it is easier to spread on a sandwich, but they taste exactly the same.

It is worth noting that there is still a difference between spread and margarine. The first product contains no or strictly limited content of hydrogenated fats, which makes it more valuable and less harmful to health.

If the packaging of the spread contains the inscription “butter”, it is better to refuse to purchase such a product, since the quality type should be indicated as a “creamy-vegetable product”. Butter is oil and spread is spread. Therefore, who else but the brands that produce these types should clearly differentiate between them.

Where is margarine found?

Cakes, cookies, pastries, muffins, donuts, etc.
Sweets, chocolates, ice cream, etc.
Bread, noodles, pies, pasties, etc.
Products of McDonald's and similar fast food restaurants.

Margarine: harm or benefit ^

Why eating margarine is harmful: what doctors say

To understand why margarine is harmful, it is enough to study several proven facts:

Hydrogenation of fats in the production of margarine, according to latest research, has an extremely unpleasant by-effect- it leads to the formation of so-called trans fatty acids (TIFA), which are practically absent in butter and vegetable oil and therefore unusual for our body.

Trans isomers, the share of which in hydrogenated margarine reaches 40%, increase cholesterol levels in the blood, disrupt the normal functioning of cell membranes, contribute to the development of vascular diseases, and negatively affect sexual potency.
Margarine lovers are more likely to develop angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia and heart failure.

The harm from monster molecules is not limited to heart disease. Last September, a very serious study was published showing that women who frequently ate foods containing trans isomers (TIFAs) had a 40 percent higher incidence of breast cancer. The presence of the monster molecules was unequivocally proven when samples of adipose tissue were taken from women. It turned out that she was literally stuffed with TIG.

Impotence, male infertility, cholelithiasis, cancer, blindness, cataracts, atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, immunodeficiency, low intelligence in children, senile dementia in adults, premature aging - short and far from full list advances attributed to trans isomeric fatty acids (TIFAs).

Several American states have completely banned the sale or use of margarine in the food industry. Today, trans fats are banned in Denmark, Switzerland and Austria. Many countries require manufacturers to label products containing trans fats.

Margarine for vegetarians

Some people turn a blind eye to the dangers of margarine and use it instead of butter.

Most often, this is done by vegetarians who do not accept animal products.
If you eat margarine in moderation and not too often, it will not do much harm.
But if you eat it systematically, the likelihood of various diseases increases significantly.

What can you replace margarine with?

A good alternative to this product is butter: it does not contain trans fats and is considered the most healthy. There are other options:

Vegetable oils;
Rendered pork fat;
Mayonnaise (sometimes);
Cooking fat;
Sour cream.

Also, many girls are interested in what can replace margarine in baking, because it is very often used in various recipes:

Applesauce

It is often used as a substitute, as it has a delicate and light consistency, thanks to which the dough becomes fluffy and porous.

For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of margarine, add ½ cup of puree and the same amount of butter. This way you will reduce the calorie and fat content of baked goods.

Low-fat sour cream

On supermarket shelves you can see low-calorie, low-fat sour cream. And despite the fact that many are skeptical about this product and believe that it should be fatty, nevertheless, it will be an excellent addition to your diet.

It can be added to any dough or salad, as well as other dishes.

Avocado

As you know, it is very fatty, and besides, these fats are good for the body.

Avocado puree is perfect for cookies or cupcakes. It should be used in the same way as applesauce.
Replacing margarine with avocado not only reduces calories, but also helps create a soft, tender dough.

Rapeseed oil

If you want to replace melted margarine, canola oil is a great alternative.

Despite its specific taste, its aroma becomes very appetizing in baking, so feel free to use it.

Natural yogurt

Instead of half the margarine, use natural yogurt or kefir, they will make the dough fluffy and porous.
This way you will reduce the amount of calories and unhealthy fats.

Baby puree

Turns out it can be used in baking for adults!
Choose a fruit puree you like and add it to the batter. Believe me, the taste will be amazing!

Conclusions: is it possible to eat margarine^

You should always remember that the health and functioning of all systems of the human body directly depends on what he eats, so it is not recommended to abuse margarine. It is best to use butter instead: it contains greatest number useful substances and is considered relatively harmless.

Signs of low-quality margarine

Doctors' opinion about margarine

Zhanna, 39 years old, immunologist:

“Margarine negatively affects the immune system, and this has been proven for a long time. Several years ago I gave up this product, which is what I recommend to my patients, because... it does not bring any significant benefit"

Olesya, 43 years old, therapist:

“Having studied the composition of margarine, I realized a long time ago that it is not worth eating at all. I buy butter instead: it’s more nutritious, healthy and tasty.”

Daria, 35 years old, endocrinologist:

"To my patients with diabetes mellitus I strongly do not recommend margarine: not only is it contraindicated for this disease, but it also contains trans fats, which significantly impair the work internal organs, which, of course, quickly affects your well-being.”

Not so long ago, both butter and margarine were used in the kitchen for the same purposes. Starting with the morning sandwich and ending with homemade cakes, - on paper they are almost the same. They contain almost the same calories and total fat (about 100 calories per tablespoon and 11-12 grams of fat).

However, the real difference lies in the type of fats contained in each of these foods and their subsequent health effects.

Butter

Butter is composed primarily of 80% milk fat and 20% water. mass media for a long time They accused butter of all sins - due to the fact that it contains large amounts of both saturated fat and cholesterol. However, despite decades of anti-fat propaganda, new research shows that these fats are not as harmful as once thought.

A large review published in 2010 looked at 21 studies that included a total of more than 340,000 participants. As a result, it was concluded that there is absolutely no connection between saturated fat and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, butter is also an excellent source of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, none of which are found in margarine.

Margarine

Margarine was created as an alternative to butter. It is based on a component such as vegetable oil, which at room temperature has a liquid form. To thicken this liquid oil, it is processed and hydrogenated.

Although margarine contains less saturated fat than butter, the hydrogenation process produces trans fats, chemically modified substances that mimic the properties of saturated fats. This gives margarine density and also increases shelf life. Trans fats are associated with decreased levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and an increased risk of heart disease.

Unfortunately, not all margarines are created equal. On the shelves you can find both hard margarine in packs and a softer consistency - in plastic boxes. As a general rule, the heavier the margarine, the more hydrogenated it has been and thus the higher the trans fat content.

Bottom line

In the question “which is better - butter or margarine?” the answer lies not in what is healthy, but in what is least harmful to you personally. In this case, when choosing between the saturated fat of butter and the trans fat of margarine, the lesser of two evils is butter. However, no matter what you choose, it is important to consume these foods in moderation. So when you spread butter or margarine on bread, do it sparingly.

Article prepared by: Lily Snape

Margarine Manufacture

Margarine can be made from a variety of animal fats and was once predominantly manufactured from beef fat and called oleo-margarine. Unlike butter, it can be packaged into a variety of consistencies, including liquid. No matter what the form, however, margarine must meet strict government content standards because it is a food item which government analysts and nutritionists consider to be easily confused with butter. These guidelines dictate that margarine be at least 80% fat, derived from animal or vegetable oils, or sometimes a blend of the two. Around 17-18.5% of the margarine is liquid, derived from either pasteurized skim milk, water, or soybean protein fluid. A slight percentage (1-3%) is salt added for flavor, but in the interest of dietary health some margarine is made and labeled saltfree. It must contain at least 15,000 units (from the U.S. Pharmacopeia standards) of vitamin A per pound. Other ingredients may be added to preserve shelf life.
Preparation

* 1 When the ingredients arrive at the margarine manufacturing facility, they must first undergo a series of preparatory measures. The oil-safflower, corn, or soybean, among other types-is treated with a caustic soda solution to remove unnecessary components known as free fatty acids. The oil is then washed by mixing it with hot water, separating it, and leaving it to dry under a vacuum. Next, the oil is sometimes bleached with a mixture of bleaching earth and charcoal in another vacuum chamber. The bleaching earth and charcoal absorb any unwanted colorants, and are then filtered out from the oil. Whatever liquid is used in the manufacturing process-milk, water, or a soy-based substance-it too must undergo preparatory measures. It also undergoes pasteurization to remove impurities, and if dry milk powder is used, it must be checked for bacteria and other contaminants.

* 2 The oil is then hydrogenated to ensure the correct consistency for margarine production, a state referred to as “plastic” or semi-solid. In this process, hydrogen gas is added to the oil under pressurized conditions. The hydrogen particles stay with the oil, helping to increase the temperature point at which it will melt and to make the oil less susceptible to contamination through oxidation.

Combining the ingredients

The continuous-flow process is the most commonly used method in the manufacture of margarine. If milk is used as the liquid base, it is joined with salt and an emulsifying agent in a chamber. The emulsifying agent ensures that the emulsification process-chemically defined as a suspension of small globules of one liquid in a second liquid-takes place. An emulsifier works by decreasing the surface tension between the oil globules and the liquid mixture, thereby helping them form chemical bonds more easily. The result is a substance that is neither wholly liquid nor wholly solid but rather a combination of the two called semi-solid. Lecithin, a natural fat derived from egg yolk, soybean, or corn, is one typical emulsification agent used in margarine manufacturing.

* 3 In the initial step, the liquid, salt, and lecithin are mixed together into one tank opposite another vat holding the oils and oil-soluble ingredients. In the continuous-flow process, the contents of the two vats are fed on a timed basis into a third tank, typically called the emulsification chamber. While the blending process is taking place, the equipment"s sensors and regulating devices keep the mixture"s temperature near 100°F (38°C).

Debates have been going on for almost 20 years among representatives of the oil and fat industry, medicine, the State Food and Consumer Service, public organizations for consumer protection and various quality laboratories. The center of discussion and controversy was and remains open question: what should the consumer choose for safe nutrition - butter, vegetable-cream mixture or margarine?

We offer useful information to the consumer to once and for all help him make his choice. Let's look at each of the products in turn and draw conclusions.

Butter

A high fat food product that is made from the cream of milk. Fat and other substances in butter are very highly digestible (96-97%). Butter contains the proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins A, D and E contained in milk, minerals and water. Of little benefit, the oil contains natural trans fats (up to 8%) and cholesterol.

Important! Trans fatty acid isomers (trans fats) can be natural or artificially created. Natural trans fats arise naturally as a result of the vital activity of bacteria in the multichamber stomach of ruminants and remain in meat and dairy products in an amount of 5-8%.

This is a food product made from natural butter and vegetable oils. To make spreads or mixtures, butter is mixed with vegetable oil, which is converted into a solid consistency using the transesterification process. Using this modern process avoids the formation of large amounts of trans fats.

Thanks to the vegetable oil in the composition, the cholesterol content in the spread and mixture is minimal, and the spreads and mixtures are rich in valuable Omega 3, which is not synthesized by the human body, but is essential for life. Spreads and mixtures are a good alternative to oil in terms of composition, effect on the body, and price.

This is confirmed by the unique project of the Finns “North Karelia”, which managed to reduce the population’s cholesterol level to normal by partially replacing butter in the diet with spread and vegetable-cream mixture. As a result average duration The population's life expectancy increased by 13 years, and the risk of cardiovascular diseases decreased by 7 times. Today, the “North Karelia” project has become known throughout the world and millions of Europeans and Americans follow the example of the Finns.

Important! The share of trans fats (artificial) in spreads is limited to 8% according to DSTU. The lower the percentage of trans isomers, the more harmless the product is to health.

Comparative indicators according to DSTU (average values):

Margarine

It is an emulsion product made from vegetable fats that have been subjected to hydrogenation technology to turn liquid vegetable fats into solids. This technology arose at the end of the 19th century and, unfortunately, during the hydrogenation process, trans isomers of fatty acids that are harmful to health are formed in large quantities (up to 40%). According to global research, consuming high amounts of trans fats risks many serious diseases, including obesity, heart attacks and strokes, infertility in men and women, and even oncology.

To be more convincing, we will present the results of an independent examination of the oil and fat market in Ukraine. The basis for testing random samples of mixtures, spreads and margarine is the content of trans fats and compliance of the product composition with the labeling on the packaging.

“The Test Center of Expertise conducted a study of two product categories: spreads/mixes and margarines. All of them were tested for trans fat content to determine their safety according to this indicator. I was pleasantly pleased with the minimal content of trans fats in the vegetable-cream mixture “Tulchinka” - 2.4% (with a norm of up to 8%), “Farmersky” and People’s Product”, with a trans fat content of 5.7% and 7.1%, respectively, in while the content of trans fats in margarines reaches 38%,” - head of the Test Center of Expertise Valentin Bezrukiy.

Conclusions:

Butter- a natural product, familiar to our diet and beneficial for the body.

Spread and vegetable-cream mixture- natural dietary product, promotes healthy cholesterol levels in the body thanks to the vegetable oil in the composition. The level of trans fats is regulated by the state and should not exceed 8%, which is safe for health. Recommended as a dietary alternative to butter, as well as for cooking and baking.

Margarines- emulsion low-price product from vegetable fats with a high content of trans isomers and low cholesterol. Due to its emulsion origin, the product is not palatable when consumed in its pure form. And due to the high level of trans fats, using margarine even for baking and frying is dangerous to your health.

For many years now, the debate between nutritionists has not stopped: what is healthier than margarine or butter? Both products have their supporters and their opponents.

We are all consumers, we all want to buy healthy products. But the food industry is a gold mine for food manufacturers, so they spare no expense on advertising their products.

They claim that their product is the best, healthiest, and most delicious. This information is implanted into our heads from the pages of newspapers, TV screens, and advertising posters. This is how myths arise about proper nutrition. Having succumbed to these statements, we do not really listen to the needs and demands of our body, but simply buy products that are “fashionable” at that moment in time.

Margarine and butter are among the most popular products on our table. Some prefer butter, others convince that margarine is healthier and better absorbed by the body.

Let's forget for a moment the advertising claims of manufacturers, and try to figure out this issue ourselves, using only scientific facts and research by nutritionists. First, let's study what properties margarine has and how it is useful.

Nutritional properties of margarine

Most big drawback margarine - the presence of trans fats in its composition. They are obtained by melting liquid vegetable fats and turning them into a solid product. This is exactly how manufacturers make margarine. These trans fats make margarine tastier and extend its shelf life. But, according to opponents of this product, trans fats are very harmful to human health.

However, biochemists assure that recently the issue of trans fats has been successfully resolved. Hard varieties of margarine contain the most of these harmful substances. There are much fewer of them in soft varieties. Therefore, nutritionists recommend consuming a small amount of soft margarine per day.

In addition, the product is made from plant materials. This means that its composition is high in mono- and poly-saturated fats, and there is absolutely no harmful cholesterol, which butter is so rich in. In addition, butter contains a huge amount of saturated animal fat. Their excess provokes the appearance of atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction.

But regular consumption of small amounts of margarine helps reduce blood cholesterol levels. Now let's look at the beneficial properties of butter.

Nutritional properties of butter

Butter is a fat emulsion obtained by processing heavy cream. The product contains 80-85% fat. Of these, almost 60% are saturated fats, which contribute to an increase in the level of bad cholesterol and accumulate it on the walls of blood vessels and arteries.

But the fat one dairy product have their own positive traits. For example, it contains vitamins D and A, proteins, and a high content of mineral salts: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium.

Doctors recommend eating 30 grams of butter every day to prevent cancer. To reduce the harm from eating butter, do not increase the recommended intake, eat it spread on bread, or add to porridge

However, nutritionists do not recommend getting carried away with frequent eating of sandwiches with butter. This food is very high in calories: a 100 gram piece of butter contains as many as 750 calories.

Well, as we have already said, this product, made from cow's milk, contains a lot of saturated fats, which are harmful to health.

So, what is better for health, butter or margarine? In resolving this issue, one should be guided by common sense, moderation and taste preferences your family.

The most important thing to remember is that eating fat should be limited.
Many have solved this issue by abandoning these products altogether and replacing them with vegetable oil. Vegetable oil is of course very useful. But the body cannot live without butter, and margarine is indispensable in baking.

There is a third option - spreads

Spread is butter and soft margarine rolled into one, as it consists of a mixture of vegetable and milk fats. Choose this product according to the percentage of animal fats indicated on the packaging. The higher this percentage, the closer the product is to butter and vice versa.

Also, when purchasing, read the ingredients carefully. The healthiest spreads contain vegetable fats from sunflower seeds. The main thing is that exotic palm and coconut oils are not used in the production of the product.

Of course, what product will be on your dining table– it’s up to you to choose. To keep your diet healthy, you just need to eat in moderation. Excessive consumption of any product, even the healthiest one, will not add health. This also applies to butter and margarine.

In addition, if animal fats are contraindicated for your health, you can easily replace butter with margarine. Margarine can be easily replaced with a light spread. If your health allows, it is best to use all of the listed products in your diet, only in moderation.

Take a stroll through the dairy aisle and you'll see a huge selection of butter and margarine. Moreover, both products are equally popular among the population. Every person has own opinion, explaining his choice. However, not everyone knows what the actual difference between butter and margarine is.

Difference between butter and margarine

Although these products are used for essentially the same purposes, they have little in common. The main factors that distinguish butter from margarine are the method of production and composition. First of all, these products contain fats of different origins.

Butter

Butter lovers are probably aware that it is made from milk. That is, it contains exclusively animal fat. The main ingredient is fresh milk or cream. The selected component is foamed to separate the fat. In this case, the liquid hardens.

The butter we buy in stores is usually made from cow's milk, although sometimes other types are substituted. Products from sheep or goat milk are also available to the consumer.

The color of the finished oil can vary from white to deep yellow. In fact, the shade does not speak about the quality of the product, but about the diet of the animal from whose milk it was made. Moreover, only one ingredient is required to whip the liquid into a dense mass.

You may have noticed that butter packages are usually labeled as “sweet cream.” Why is this happening? The answer suggests itself. It’s just that the main component of this product is not milk, but cream. In addition, it is pasteurized or heated before churning. This is done to extend the shelf life of the manufactured product. In many countries, such as the USA, it is strictly prohibited to sell oil that has not been pasteurized.

During churning, milk or cream turns into a thick paste. At the same time, the process itself contributes to the fact that air enters the mass, making it lighter. This is why butter contains fewer calories than regular animal fats.