Lyla Lindsey
Margarine is a spread used for flavouring, baking, and cooking, and is often used as a substitute for butter. Margarine was originally made from animal fats, but today it is mostly made from vegetable oil. In Australia, the popularity of margarine has been declining, with more people choosing butter or other butter blends and dairy spreads. The process of making margarine involves extracting and refining oils and fats, which may then undergo hydrogenation to solidify them. While margarine is a source of unsaturated fats, the hydrogenation process can create small amounts of trans fats, which have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What is margarine | A spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking, and as a substitute for butter. |
| Composition | Margarine is made from vegetable oil, which is an unsaturated fat. |
| Health concerns | Margarine is produced by hydrogenation, which creates trans fats, associated with an increased risk of heart disease. |
| Health recommendations | The Heart Foundation Australia recommends limiting saturated fat to 7% of total energy intake and suggests swapping butter for margarine made from canola, sunflower, olive, or dairy blends. |
| Popularity in Australia | In 2018, 8.6 million Australians bought butter in a month, while 5 million Australians bought margarine, indicating a decline in the popularity of margarine. |
| Leading butter brands in Australia | Western Star, Devondale, and Mainland. |
| Regulatory body | Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) monitors trans fats in the food supply and sets standards for butter and margarine. |
| Labelling requirements | Manufacturers in Australia are not required to declare trans fats on labels unless making a nutrition content claim. |
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What You'll Learn
Margarine's history and ingredients
Margarine is a spread used for flavouring, baking, and cooking. It is most commonly used as a substitute for butter. Margarine was originally created in 1869 as a cheaper alternative to butter. The spread was originally named oleomargarine, derived from the Latin 'oleum' (olive oil) and the Greek 'margarite' (meaning 'pearl', indicating lustre). The name was later shortened to margarine, or 'oleo' in the Deep South of the US.
Margarine was originally made from animal fats, but today, most margarine is made from vegetable oil. Vegetable oils are unsaturated fats, which are considered healthier than saturated fats. Margarine consists of a water-in-fat emulsion, with tiny droplets of water dispersed uniformly throughout a fat phase in a stable solid form.
To produce margarine, oils and fats are first extracted, for example, by pressing seeds. The oils may then undergo a full or partial hydrogenation process to solidify them. This process of adding hydrogen converts liquid vegetable oil into a spread. Margarines made in this way are said to contain hydrogenated fat. However, hydrogenation also creates trans fats, which are associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
In Australia, manufacturers are not required to declare trans fats on food labels unless they make a nutrition content claim. Nevertheless, most margarines and table spreads in Australia today contain very little or no trans fats, and less saturated fat than butter. For example, Australian margarine spreads have some of the lowest levels of trans fat in the world, with an average of 0.2g trans fat per 100g, compared to 4g per 100g in butter.
In the late 19th century, Australia began exporting large quantities of cheap butter to Europe, which contributed to the economic conditions that made the development of margarine more appealing to consumers and producers.
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Health concerns and benefits
Margarine is a highly processed food product made from vegetable oils, while butter is a dairy product and a concentrated source of milk fat. Butter is high in saturated fats, which have been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. As such, public health authorities have recommended limiting butter consumption since 1961.
Margarine, on the other hand, is typically produced from vegetable oils, which are unsaturated fats and therefore good for you. However, the process that gives vegetable oils more body also produces small amounts of trans fats, which are worse than saturated fats. Trans fats are man-made fatty acids that form during the process of hydrogenation, turning liquid vegetable oils into solid fats. These newly formed fats are highly toxic, and their consumption is linked to cardiovascular problems, including heart disease, elevated inflammation, and insulin resistance.
Despite this, Australian margarine spreads have some of the lowest levels of trans fat in the world, with an average of 0.2g of trans fat per 100g, compared to 4g per 100g in butter. Margarine is also cholesterol-free and contains fewer calories than butter. Some margarines are also enriched with plant sterols, which block cholesterol absorption and can help lower LDL cholesterol.
However, some concerns have been raised about the preservatives added to margarine to ensure longer shelf life, such as Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), which has been linked to bladder cancer in rats and promoted tumour growth in other studies.
Overall, while margarine may be a healthier alternative to butter due to its lower saturated fat content and other benefits, it is important to consume these products in moderation and consider other healthier alternatives such as avocadoes, nut spreads, olive oil, or flaxseed oil spreads.
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Australian margarine's trans fats
Margarine is a spread used for flavouring, baking, and cooking. It is often used as a substitute for butter. While butter is made from fresh whole milk, margarine is made from vegetable oil. The process of making margarine involves extracting oils and fats, for example, by pressing seeds, and then refining them.
The issue with margarine is that it is produced by hydrogenation, which is the process of adding hydrogen to solidify liquid vegetable oil into a spread. Hydrogenation creates trans fats, which are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Trans fats are formed when liquid vegetable oils are hardened or hydrogenated to turn them into semi-solid fats. Hydrogenation changes a fatty acid's molecular structure and turns a portion of the fat into the 'trans' form.
In Australia, manufacturers are not required to declare trans fats on food labels unless they make a nutrition content claim relating to cholesterol or saturated, trans, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, or omega fatty acids. However, true margarines are hard to find in Australia, and there are now many softer, non-hydrogenated table spreads available. Most margarines and table spreads in Australia contain very little or no trans fats and less saturated fat than butter.
Australian spreads have significantly reduced trans fat content compared to the past due to advances in food technology, which have allowed manufacturers to produce spreads without relying on hydrogenation. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that no more than one percent of our daily kilojoule intake comes from trans fat. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) monitors trans fats in the food supply and has found that only about 0.5 percent of Australians' daily energy needs come from trans fats.
When buying margarine, it is best to choose the softer types that can be spread straight from the fridge, as these are less likely to contain trans fats.
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Vegetable oil and water emulsion
Margarine is a spread used for flavouring, baking, and cooking. It is often used as a substitute for butter. Margarine is made through the intensive processing of refined vegetable oil and water. This process involves creating a water-in-fat emulsion, with tiny droplets of water uniformly dispersed throughout a fat phase in a stable solid form.
To create this emulsion, oils and fats are first extracted from seeds and then refined. Oils may undergo hydrogenation, a process that adds hydrogen to the oil, to solidify them. This process increases the melting point of the oil, effectively "hardening" it. However, as excessive consumption of saturated fats may have negative health effects, the amount of hydrogenation is controlled to achieve the desired texture without exceeding healthy levels of saturated fats.
The milk or water mixture is kept separate from the oil mixture until the emulsion step. The fats are warmed to a liquid state during the mixing process. Water-soluble additives, such as powdered skim milk, salt, citric acid, lactic acid, and preservatives, are added to the water or milk mixture. Emulsifiers, such as lecithin, are also added to help disperse the water phase evenly throughout the oil.
Fat-soluble additives are then mixed into the oil. The final product is a spread with at least 80% fat content, as defined by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards (FSANZ). Margarine is a purely plant-based product, derived from vegetable oils, and is a source of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are considered healthier for the heart.
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Butter vs margarine in Australia
Butter and margarine are two of the most popular spreads in Australia, with 12.3 million Australians buying either butter, margarine, or a blend of the two in a month. However, butter is gaining the edge in the long-running battle between the two spreads, with over 8.6 million Australians buying butter in a month, compared to 5 million Australians buying margarine.
Butter
Butter is a natural dairy product made from fresh whole milk, usually cow's milk. The process of making butter involves separating the cream from the milk, pasteurising and churning it until it thickens naturally into butter. The remaining liquid, buttermilk, is then drained off, and salt is sometimes added. Butter contains about 80% milk fat, which gives it its creamy texture and rich taste, but that also means it contains about 67% saturated fat, which has been linked to increased levels of LDL cholesterol and may contribute to atherosclerosis. However, butter also contains some superstar nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, B12, and K, which support everything from strong bones to a healthy immune system. Grass-fed butter is also a great source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which may help reduce the risk of heart disease, support weight management, and even have potential anti-cancer properties.
Margarine
Margarine is a spread used for flavouring, baking, and cooking and was originally created as a cheaper alternative to butter. It is made through a more intensive processing of refined vegetable oil and water. Margarine was originally made from animal fats, but most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The process of making margarine involves extracting oils and fats, e.g. by pressing seeds, and then refining them. Oils may undergo a full or partial hydrogenation process to solidify them, which creates trans fats, which are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. However, true margarines are hard to find in Australia, and there are now many softer, non-hydrogenated table spreads available. Most margarines and table spreads in Australia contain very little or no trans fats and less saturated fat than butter.
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Frequently asked questions
Margarine is made from vegetable oils. Vegetable oils are unsaturated fats, which are good for you.
First, oils and fats are extracted by pressing seeds, and then refined. Oils may undergo a full or partial hydrogenation process to solidify them. The water-soluble additives are added to the water or milk mixture, and emulsifiers such as lecithin are added to help disperse the water phase evenly throughout the oil.
In the late 19th century, Australia began exporting large quantities of cheap butter to Europe. This contributed to the economic conditions that made the development of margarine more appealing to consumers and producers. In 1895, Unilever, which would later become a major producer of margarine, opened an oil mill in Sydney.
Margarine is produced by hydrogenation, which can create trans fats. Trans fats are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. However, Australian margarine spreads have some of the lowest levels of trans fat in the world and significantly less trans fat than butter.
