How margarine is made
Margarine is a water-in-fat emulsion invented in 1869 as an answer to a challenge from Napoleon III.
- stations
- 7
- things upstream
- 14
- raw sources
- 9
- steps from the ground
- 4
The short version
A margarine plant blends refined vegetable oils, some of them hardened or reshuffled to be solid at room temperature, with a water or soured-milk phase. Emulsifiers hold the mix together. It is then chilled rapidly, worked until smooth, and packed. Hippolyte Mege-Mouries invented margarine in 1869.
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Refine the oils
Seed oils and palm oil are pressed or extracted, then refined to remove gums, color and flavor. The fat blend sets how hard the spread is.
Goes in -
Harden some of the oil
Part of the oil may be hardened by passing hydrogen through it over a nickel catalyst. This turns carbon double bonds into single ones and raises the melting point. Many brands now rely on fractionation and interesterification to avoid hydrogenation.
Goes in -
Make the water phase
Water or skimmed milk, which may be soured, is mixed with salt, citric or lactic acid, a preservative and sometimes powdered skim milk.
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Dose the fat-soluble extras
The fats are warmed until liquid. Emulsifiers such as lecithin, carotenoids for yellow color and antioxidants are stirred into the oil.
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Emulsify the two phases
Oil is run slowly into the water phase under constant stirring. The result is a smooth emulsion of tiny water droplets scattered through the fat.
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Chill and work it
The emulsion is chilled rapidly inside scraped-surface tubes, which prevents large fat crystals and gives a smooth texture. It is then rolled or kneaded.
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Aerate and pack
Soft tub margarine may be whipped with nitrogen so it spreads more easily. It is packed into tubs or wrapped in paper blocks.
Worth repeating
- The spread was first named oleomargarine; margarite is Greek for pearl, a nod to its luster.
- Many brands launched spreads in the 21st century with only one-third of the fat of traditional spreads.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and margarine starts as these 9 raw sources.
Everything it is made of See it on the map
Open the whole family tree
Keep walking
Sources
Cite this page: "How margarine is made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/margarine