Most of us avoid butter and margarine
because it is afraid of the fat content. In fact, many of the other nutrients
found in food it is. In addition to vitamins A and D, there are also iron,
phosphorus, sodium, potassium, as well as omega-3 and omega-6.
Fats and oils is nutrients important
to maintain human health. In addition, fats and oils are a source of energy
which is more effective than with carbohydrate and protein. Contribution of
energy per gram of fat, protein, and carbohydrates each 9, 4, and 4 kcal.
Butter and margarine belong to the
fat that is ready to be consumed without cooked (edible fat consumed uncooked).
Both have the same function, which
is, as a source of energy, increase the power received food, forming a
structure, as well as provides delicious taste.
However, there are fundamental
differences on both products. Butter is a product of natural milk.
Manufacturing with whisking milk cream and shaking until it reached the shape
of semi-solid.
Margarine is generally made from
vegetable oils. Both types of these foodstuffs are an emulsion with the same
type, i.e. the water phase is in the oil phase (water in oil).
Water and oil is a liquid that
doesn't blend in because they have different density. To keep the grain oil
remains suspended in water, in butter and margarine needed substance
emulsifiers (emulsifier).
Materials that can act as emulsifiers
include egg yolk, albumin, casein, or lecithin. Working power of emulsifier is
supported by molecular form that can be attached to oil as well as water.
In the making of butter and
margarine, adding emulsifier serves to:
- Reduce the splatter power of the product when used for frying because of the water that is in the product is bounded to fats,
- extend the storability, because the products be avowed damaged in the event of separation of components of fat and water,
- Amplifies the texture so as not to melt at room temperature, and
- Raise the boiling point to satisfy the goal of fried.
Milk Fat
According to Indonesia's National
Standard (SNI 01-3744-1995), butter was soft solid food products created from
fatty or creamy of milk or its alloy, with or without the addition of salt
(NaCl) or other materials are permitted, as well as a minimum contains 80
percent milk fat.
In addition to salt, into the butter
also added vitamins, substances, dyes, and preservatives (e.g. sodium
benzoate). Emulsion on butter was a mixture of 18 percent water dispersed on 80
percent fat, with a small amount of protein substances that act as emulsifiers.
Butter can be made from milk fat
(especially the fat of cow's milk) that sweet (sweet cream) or acid. Butter
from the acid milk fat has a stronger flavor.
Vegetable Fat
According to Indonesia's National
Standard (SNI 01-3541-1994), margarine is a product of food shaped solid or
semi-solid emulsion made of vegetable fat and water, with or without the
addition of other ingredients is permitted.
Margarine differentiated into kitchen
margarine and table margarine. In kitchen margarine is not required the
existence of a addition of vitamins A and D.
Margarine is intended as a substitute
for butter with appearance, smell, consistency, taste, and nutritional value
that is almost the same as butter.
Common vegetable oils used in the
manufacture of margarine is coconut oil, palm kernel oil, cotton seed oil,
soybean oil, sesame oil, kapok oil, corn oil, and wheat oil.
The nutritional composition of
margarine is almost the same with butter, just a little different in number. As
is the case in the butter, the biggest nutrition composition in margarine is
fat (about 80 percent).
From the comparison it is obvious that butter
contains saturated fatty acid levels are higher, but it has unsaturated fatty
acids which lower than margarine. From the point of view of health, of course unsaturated
fatty acids, namely omega-3 and omega-6, this is found in margarine more
profitable than saturated fatty acids in butter.