MARGARINE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 February 1908, Page 2

MARGARINE.

BUTTER TOO DEAR. NEW INDUSTRY DEVELOPED. It is not generally known that margarine can bo bought iji Wellington. It is made in New Zealand, packed in neat butter-boxes like those used in the export trade, and sold by the 06-lb. box at 7d. per pound. This is practically only half the price of the best butter, and doubtless those poople of small means who have, at present prices, had to refuse their children butter, way adopt cheap margarine as a substitute. Though, not professing to describe .the exact composition of the New Zealand made artiwe may quote what the dictionaries say about margarine in gjeneral:— 1. "Century Dictionary":—" A peculiar pearl-like substance extracted from hog's lard. The solid fatty matter of certain vegetable oils. The purest margarine is obtained from tho concrete part of olive! oil.' It is a mixture of stearin and palmatin."2. " Collins' Graphic English Dictionary " -: —"A peculiar pearl-like substance extracted from' vegetable oils and the fat of animals. Artificial butter." . The 'word margarine is derived from'the Greek word ". margarit-es," ; which means a pearl. : The other two puzzling . words "stearin" and "palmatin need further explanation to. enable the ; ordinary mother of a family to distinguish them from the names of • microbes, and . other horrors. Stearin is "the solid proximate principle of - animal fat" (Greek "stcar," meaning suet). In. plain English it' is.thft essence of sUet. l'almatin, we, regret, to say, .is'" a 'substance from castor oil." Pure, first-grade New Zealand butter at fifteen pence a pound contains over 20 per cent; of ; the substance from cas't'or oil, in-addition to'over 42 percent. of " essence, of suet'." Margarine contains only a little more of these valuable elements than butter does. , , . ■ What makes nearly'all tho difference between good, honest New , Zealand butter, and pure margarine is that butter has a buttery aroma and flavour. Theso qualities are due to the presence of tho following things:— Butyrin, caproin, capr.vllin, rutin (or capfin), butin (or arachnidin), and myristin. Of these things butter, contains about five pounds in a half-hundredweight box, but a box of margarine. contains only about three ounces. Here are the proportions:—, ' Butter. Margarine. . per 1 cent, per cent. Palmatin . > ... 20.33 22.32 Stearin ... w 42.77 ''46.94 , \Olein • ... ... ... 27.71 30.42 Butyrin Caproin - . Caprylliu •; ' 9.19 : 0 .32 ltutjn or oaprm Butin or arachnidin Myristin Olein needs ; definijig. It is " the liquid portion of fat' or oil. . If, readers will remember all these facts and names, they will be able to take a much more enlightened interest/ in' their next act- pf spreading a slice of bread; and butter or bread and margarine." To give margarine -its . due, it has a special virtue in these hot , days. It does not melt so quickly as butter. Its melting point is between 34 and 40 degrees C.; that, of butter comes, between 29 and 35 degrees C. On the > authority of a medical.. man,' margarine can be recommended to those who 1 cannot afford pure' butter as being " lower: in price and more nutritious " than waterlogged or milk-blended -butter.- For our-/ selves," however, 1 we .-will "-still: try •to buy butter.:' ''' ' ; - r ; -