Grainy margarine

Figure 17-3 Wide-angle X-ray diffraction patterns from (a) a good margarine and (b) a grainy margarine. A large proportion of liquid oil is indicated by the shaded areas in both patterns.

Various procedures have been proposed to solve the problem of graininess of margarines manufactured with hydrogenated sunflower oil. The hydrogenated oil... 

Storage conditions play quite an important role for the overall quality of margarine products. Insufficient or improper storage conditions can lead to several product failures such as sandiness or graininess, oiling out, lack of plasticity, brittleness, or microbiological spoilage for sensitive product types (86). 

Fat fractionation as we know it today has its origins in the late nineteenth century with the invention of margarine in 1869. The secret was the careful crystallization of freshly rendered edible tallow at temperatures between 25°C and 30°C [2]. The resultant grainy mass was then hydraulically pressed to obtain a crude 60 40 separation of a soft fraction (olein) and a hard fraction (stearin). This has remained the basic principle of the modern process. The softer fraction had physical properties similar to those of anhydrous milkfat (AMF) and was easily rendered into a plastic product that could be used in place of butter. 

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