ABSTRACT
Margarine is a flavored food product containing 80% fat. It is made by blending selected fats and oils with other ingredients and is fortified with vitamin A to produce a table, cooking, or baking fat product that serves the purpose of dairy butter but is different in composition and can be varied for different applications.1 Margarine was developed to fill both an economic and a nutritional need when it was first made as a butter substitute. Its growth in popularity has occurred because it can be physically altered to perform in many varied applications. Over 10 different types of margarines are produced today, including regular, whipped, soft tub, liquid, diet, spread, transfatty-acid-free, no fat, restaurant, baker’s, and specialty, all of which are packaged in as many different packages. These margarines are made from a variety of fats and oils, including soybean, cottonseed, palm, corn, canola, safflower, sunflower, lard, and tallow. Margarine products cater to the requirements of all the different consumers: retail, foodservice, and food processor.
