Margarine dates back to the time of Napoleon, Emperor of France in the 1860s. He challenged scientists of the time to make a butter substitute that most poor people could afford. Margarine has come a long way since then and there are now hundreds of different brands.
All margarine is made from vegetable oils. These can be palm oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, olive oil or soya bean based oil. The vegetable oil, which is runny, has to be converted into a solid fat to make margarine. This is done by warming the oil to about 60 degrees Celsius and then bubbling hydrogen through it. Nickel is used as a catalyst for this reaction to make it happen faster.
The hydrogen reacts chemically with the oil, changing all the carbon to carbon double bonds to single bonds. This process is called hydrogenation and it raises the melting point of the oil, so that it is a solid rather than a liquid at room temperature.
All margarine is made from vegetable oils. These can be palm oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, olive oil or soya bean based oil. The vegetable oil, which is runny, has to be converted into a solid fat to make margarine. This is done by warming the oil to about 60 degrees Celsius and then bubbling hydrogen through it. Nickel is used as a catalyst for this reaction to make it happen faster.
The hydrogen reacts chemically with the oil, changing all the carbon to carbon double bonds to single bonds. This process is called hydrogenation and it raises the melting point of the oil, so that it is a solid rather than a liquid at room temperature.
