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. Anyway, a young man walked the streets and asked the same question 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 healthy way the lives of their subjects, but the need to provide cheap products 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.

Russian cookbook of the late 19th century describes the process of creating artificial butter: “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 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. Regular margarine is produced by heat treating vegetable oil in the presence of a catalyst, which leads to side effect– the formation of so-called trans fats (or rather, an increase in their quantity 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? To be fair, it should be noted that modern production margarines uses high-quality raw materials and manufacturing methods that minimize the content 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 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 in kind without subjecting it to overheating, that is, on a sandwich or in porridge.
And margarine is indispensable in baking.

Discussions among nutritionists about whether butter or margarine is healthier have been going on for decades. Until recently, oil was considered the worst enemy. It has been blamed for raising cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease.

Today public opinion has changed to the opposite. And margarine is already perceived as the source of all troubles and problems. You can often see headlines about the deadly dangers of margarine. What caused this dramatic change of opinion and how scientifically justified is it? Should we really limit oil in our diet to avoid an increased risk of heart and vascular disease? Or is margarine more harmful to our health?

To answer these questions, you need to understand what butter and margarine are, how they differ from each other and consider all the pros and cons of both products.

Butter

Butter is an animal product made from whipped cow's cream. It has a nice soft creamy taste. It is used as fat, for sandwiches, making sauces and cream, in various baked goods. As a concentrated source of milk fat, it is primarily composed of saturated fat and is high in cholesterol. They are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Most people should limit their intake.

One tablespoon of butter contains 33 mg of cholesterol and 7 grams of saturated fat. Whereas nutritionists advise limiting cholesterol intake to no more than 200 milligrams per day, and saturated fat to no more than 10-15 grams.

The health effects of oil largely depend on the diet of cows. Animals that eat grass in natural conditions are much more nutritious compared to those raised on farms. It contains more:

Vitamin K2. This little-known vitamin may help prevent many serious diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease;

Conjugated linoleic acid. Research shows that this fatty acid may have anti-cancer properties and help reduce body fat percentage;

Butyrate. A short-chain fatty acid found in oil that is also produced by bacteria in the intestines. This compound may fight inflammation, improve digestion, and help prevent weight gain;

Omega-3. Butter produced from domestic cows contains more Omega-3 fatty acids and less Omega-6. This is important because most people consume more Omega-6.

It should be noted that butter, as a rule, is not used in large quantities. Therefore the contribution of these nutrients V total consumption not great.

What's harmful in oil? Doctors and nutritionists are concerned about its high content of saturated fat and cholesterol. It consists of almost 50 percent of such fats. The rest is water and unsaturated fat.

Not so long ago, scientists argued that saturated fats are harmful to health. But many Scientific research gave conflicting results. As a result, some nutrition experts have begun to doubt that consuming such fats is actually harmful to health and has a significant impact on rates of cardiovascular disease.

Proponents of the popular opinion often point to studies showing that saturated fat increases levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol. This is a true statement. Saturated fat increases LDL cholesterol levels. But here, too, not everything is clear.

Some scientists believe that consuming them may have some benefits, including improving blood lipids.

It can increase "good" HDL cholesterol levels and change the size of LDL cholesterol particles from small and dense to larger ones, which are considered higher quality.

There is no conclusive scientific evidence that there is a direct link between eating butter and other sources of saturated fat and heart disease.

The oil also has high levels of cholesterol, which has been linked to a major risk factor for heart disease. All of these arguments were based on research showing that high cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease.

It is now clear that moderate dietary cholesterol intake does not have a significant effect on blood levels in most people. Although it is not denied that too much consumption of foods with high content cholesterol can cause it to increase.

Discussions on this issue continue in the scientific community. But the problem is no longer so acute.

Margarine

Margarine was first produced in France as a substitute for butter for the army and the lowest classes of the population. It is made from vegetable oils, emulsifiers, salt, flavorings, colors and other ingredients that can improve color, texture and taste.

Modern margarine is made from various types oils containing polyunsaturated fats, which can lower cholesterol. It is similar to butter and is often used as a substitute.

Since vegetable oils are mostly liquid when room temperature, then to make them solid, they are subjected to a special treatment - hydrogenation.

Hydrogenation increases the saturated fat content of the oil, producing unhealthy trans fats as a byproduct. The harder the margarine, the more trans fats it contains.

Today, the transesterification method is mainly used, which gives the same result, but without the formation of trans fats.

Simply put, modern margarine is a highly processed food product, made from vegetable oils with the addition of other components, including vitamin supplements.

The health benefits of margarine depend on what vegetable oils it contains and how it is processed.

Most types of margarine contain a lot of polyunsaturated fat. The exact amount depends on what vegetable oils were used to produce it.

For example, margarine based soybean oil may contain approximately 20%.

Polyunsaturated fats are generally considered healthier than saturated fats. Hence the conclusion is drawn that such fat is more beneficial for preventing the risks of heart disease.

Research has shown that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduces this risk by 17 percent.

Contains plant phytosterols. The vegetable oils themselves from which margarine is made contain these compounds. They are believed to have an effect on cholesterol levels, increasing high-strength lithoproteins and reducing low-strength lithoproteins. But most studies conducted on this topic have not found any significant association with the presence of phytosterols and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The main harm of margarine is associated with the presence of trans fats. In previous technology it actually contained a lot of them. They are formed as by-product when hydrogenating liquid vegetable oils. New way hydrogenation makes it possible to completely eliminate their formation or have a minimum content. In addition, in many countries, including ours, standards clearly limit their availability.

Speaking about the benefits of margarine, it should be noted that:

It contains more polyunsaturated fats, which are considered more beneficial for human health;

Enriched with beneficial vitamin and mineral supplements;

Less caloric compared to oil;

The harm of margarine may include:

Increased Omega-6 content.

Read

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 human body, come with food.

Food fried in oil or margarine, porridge with butter, flour products with added fat are included in 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 - 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 from each other 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 materials ripen for 2-4 hours at a low temperature of 1-8 degrees, the consistency becomes thick.
• Churning - the process occurs in a rotating wooden barrel or a 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. During thermomechanical processing of raw materials, the temperature is maintained at 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% - various additives. Required components are emulsifier, water, salt, sugar, preservatives. Flavorings, dyes, powdered milk, 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:

1. Oil hydrogenation is the process of saturating fatty acids with hydrogen atoms. During saturation, the cell formula changes vegetable fats. 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.
2. 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 soft variety, which contains 8% trans fat. 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 Food Industry and cooking, these fats have the same purpose.

Differences

Differences are revealed with a deeper analysis of butter and margarine.
1. Price difference. Margarine is much cheaper than butter. Products made with the addition of margarine are available to all segments of the population.
2. Organoleptic indicators. By taste sensations Butter wins thanks to its delicate creamy base. The butter melts in your mouth, enhancing and softening the taste of the dish. Margarine has viscous consistency, more noticeable on the tongue during use. Added flavorings add flavor and aroma.
3. 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.
4. 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 are replaced 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.

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. At the center of discussion and controversy was and remains an open question: what should the consumer choose for safe food- butter, vegetable-cream mixture or margarine?

We offer useful to the consumer information to help him make his choice once and for all. 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%). The composition of butter includes 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 occur naturally as a result of the vital activity of bacteria in the multichamber stomach of ruminants and are preserved 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. Application of this modern process avoids the formation of large amounts of trans fats.

Thanks to 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 extremely necessary for life. Spreads and mixtures are good alternative oil both in composition, and in its effect on the body, and in 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, the average life expectancy of the population 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 produce liquid vegetable fats became hard. 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 level cholesterol. Due to its emulsion origin, the product is not palatable when consumed in pure form. And because of high level trans fats, the use of margarine even for baking and frying is dangerous to health.

Margarine or butter - which is better to choose for delicious sandwich, and what about baking? Modern manufacturers have long learned to disguise these products, so it is often difficult to understand how butter differs from margarine in the presented assortment. We all remember the famous Rama butter, which was the first sandwich margarine to come to our store shelves from Europe. But still, there is a difference between these products for us, and our consumers have not found use for such a product.

What is the difference between margarine and butter?

The main difference between butter and margarine is that they are intended for different purposes. Margarine has always been an integral component in baking, but it can easily be replaced with regular butter. But spread margarine on a sandwich and it tastes different. So the main thing for the consumer is quality, what is the difference between butter and margarine - taste qualities these products.

What is the difference between butter and margarine in baking?

Second main feature What makes margarine different from butter is the variety of baking recipes in which it is used. This is especially true for loose shortcrust pastry, which has an airy consistency. This effect can only be achieved with margarine. High Quality, but it is better to add butter to the dough for pies and buns, where the dough turns out to be more elastic.

Many people who are losing weight are worried whether they will carrot cake too high in calories, replace butter with margarine in the recipe. This is another fact that distinguishes butter from margarine - if you replace it in baked goods, you can reduce its fat content.

What is the difference between butter and margarine in composition?

So we come to the essence of the question, how butter differs from margarine in principle. If you have tried to spread margarine on a sandwich, you probably remember this strange taste. It's all about the composition of the product, it has nothing in common.

Margarine was made from animal fats at the very beginning of its invention. of this product and was a butter substitute. Today it contains palm or sunflower oil, water, emulsifiers and flavor enhancers, that is, nothing useful for nutrition, this is a product exclusively for baking.

Butter is made from cream with the addition cold water, after which the whey and natural oil are separated. It's also greasy, but it's healthy milk fat, which contains a lot of vitamins and calcium. This is another point of how butter differs from margarine - composition and taste.

It is also the oil that is used for frying, it gives finished products beautiful golden crust. When adding oil, remember to keep them juicy on the inside and crispy and golden on the outside.