Margarine

Margarine
Margarine in a tub
Alternative namesMarge, oleo, oleomargarine, buttery spread
TypeSpread
Place of originFrance
Created byHippolyte Mège-Mouriès
Main ingredientsVegetable oils

Margarine (/ˈmɑːrdʒəriːn/, also UK: /ˈmɑːrɡə-, ˌmɑːrɡəˈriːn, ˌmɑːrdʒə-/, US: /ˈmɑːrdʒərɪn/ ⓘ)[1] is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was originally named oleomargarine from Latin for oleum (olive oil) and Greek margarite ("pearl", indicating luster). The name was later shortened to margarine.[2]

Margarine consists of a water-in-fat emulsion, with tiny droplets of water dispersed uniformly throughout a fat phase in a stable solid form.[3] While butter is made by concentrating the butterfat of milk through agitation, modern margarine is made through a more intensive processing of refined vegetable oil and water.

Per US federal regulation, products must have a minimum fat content of 80% (with a maximum of 16% water) to be labeled as such in the United States,[4][5] although the term is used informally to describe vegetable-oil-based spreads with lower fat content.[4][6] In Britain, it can be referred to colloquially as marge.[7]

Margarine can be used as an ingredient in other food products, such as pastries, doughnuts, cakes, and cookies.[8]

  1. ^ Wells, John (3 April 2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Pearson Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference rupp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Rajah, Kanes (1 May 2005). "Spread thickly with innovation: with the basic concept of spreads unchanged for decades, producers have to be increasingly innovative in their product development and marketing. Kanes Rajah outlines some successful strategies". Al Business website. The Gale Group, Inc. Archived from the original on 30 November 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Margarine, Part 166: Subpart B, Requirements for Specific Standardized Margarine". Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Subchapter B, Food for Human Consumption, US Food and Drug Administration. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  5. ^ Larson, Sarah (4 September 2023). "The Lies in Your Grocery Store". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  6. ^ Matthew Boyle (31 January 2014). "Unilever Adds Butter to Margarine as the Foods' Fortunes Reverse". Businessweek.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2015. Although margarine was originally made primarily from beef fat, the products most people call margarine today are spreads
  7. ^ "marge in Collins Dictionary". Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  8. ^ Ian P. Freeman (2005). "Margarines and Shortenings". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.a16_145. ISBN 3527306730.