PREFACE

The importance of a due proportion of fat in the diet of man is insisted on by all physiologists, and the variety of forms in which fat enters into human food is very considerable. Formerly butter, lard, and dripping were the principal fats consumed as food, but the introduction of margarine by M. Mège-Mouries in 1872, followed, in more recent years, by the discovery of large quantities of new vegetable fats and oils, and of greatly improved processes for their preparation, purification, and refinement, has much augmented and cheapened the supply of fat for human consumption.

The popular prejudice against artificial butters has now been largely dissipated, and the edible fat and oil industry has become an important one.

The aim of the present volume is to describe, in a concise manner, the properties of the different edible fats and oils and their combinations, and to give an outline of the modern processes used in their preparation and purification.

Unfortunately the discoveries of science in this, as in other branches of technical chemistry, have led to the practice of a considerable amount of very skilful adulteration, and it is hoped that the somewhat lengthy chapter on the analysis of edible food products will be useful to those engaged in the industry in enabling such adulteration to be detected and successfully combated.

W. H. S. C. A. M.

London, April 1911.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I PAGE

Introduction 1

Fat as Food—Physiological Considerations—Constitution

of Fats and Oils.

CHAPTER II

Raw Materials used in the Manufacture of Edible

Fats and Oils 14

CHAPTER III

Refining, Bleaching, and Deodorising Fats and Oils 23

Physical Methods—Washing, freezing, filtration,

treatment with charcoal and fuller’s earth, steaming.

Chemical methods—Caustic soda, sodium carbonate

and silicate, alkaline earths, ozone, hydrosulphites,

sodium bisulphite, organic peroxides.

CHAPTER IV

Butter 39

CHAPTER V

Lard 56

CHAPTER VI

Margarine and Other Butter Substitutes 65

Margarine, Oleomargarine, or Artificial

Butter—Invention and Development—Modern Processes

and Formulæ—Vegetable Butter.

CHAPTER VII

Salad Oils 74

Salad Oils—Oils used for Culinary and Confectionery

Purposes—Chocolate Fats.

CHAPTER VIII

Analysis of Raw Materials and Finished Products 89

General Methods of Analysis of Fats and Oils—Special

Tests for Individual Oils—Analysis of Butter, Margarine,

Lard, Cheese, Chocolate.

CHAPTER IX

Statistics of the Trade in Edible Oils 137

Index 145

EDIBLE FATS AND OILS