Margarine as Fat Replacer

The desirability of fat’s presence in foods and its multiple roles in food preparation have led to many different types of fats being obtained from both animal and plant sources through the years. At first, people probably used the fat rendered from animal carcasses. Butter was probably not far behind once milk from domesticated animals became available. As the population grew, a more easily obtained and abundant source of fat was needed, so the oils in plants began to be extracted. When war triggered the demand for a butter replacement, margarine was introduced for the first time in 1860s. The abundance of available fats and their incorporation into foods have not benefited the health of North Americans and Europeans, so fat replacers have recently become increasingly available in the market. The different types of fats – butter, margarine, shortenings, oils, lard, and cocoa butter – and fat replacers are in this category.

Margarine

During the Napoleonic Wars, the short supply and rationing of butter led Napoleon III to organize a contest to find a suitable butter replacement. And so it was that in 1869, a French pharmacist and chemist, Hippolyte Mege-Mouries, won the contest by developing oleomargarine. During World War II, when a law prevented the coloring of food products, margarine was introduced to United States consumers. It was unappetizingly lard-like and flat white in color. Eventually the law was repealed, and yellow margarine is now a staple in the North American market.

Standard stick margarine must contain at least 80 percent fat, about 16 percent water, and 4 percent milk solids. Contrary to popular belief, regular margarine contains as many calories (kcal) as butter, though the fat sources differ, and lower fat versions are available. Margarine may be made from soy-bean, corn, safflower, canola or other partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. In addition, margarines usually contain: cultured skim milk; emulsifiers such as lecithin; mono- and diglycerides; preservatives such as sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, calcium disodium EDTA, isopropyl citrate, and citric acid; vitamins A and D; flavorings, usually diacetyl; and food colorings, usually annatto and/or carotene. Diacetyl is added to margarine for flavoring because it is largely responsible, in addition to short fatty acids, for butter’s characteristic flavor.

Available types of margarines include whipped margarine, light blends of margarine and butter containing about 60 percent fat, diet or reduced-calorie (kcal) margarine, which has a higher water content, and imitation margarines identified as “vegetable oil spreads”. Imitation margarines average half the fat of regular margarines.