We all want to eat tasty and healthy food. But to understand modern products, you need to be a very savvy person. In particular, many people cannot decide between oil and spread. Are these the same or are they different products? Which one is better?
What does the word "spread" mean?
“Combined oil”, “soft oil”, “light oil” - the spread until a certain point was called something like this. A product called "spread" has taken root on domestic shelves since 2004, when the corresponding GOST appeared.
Translated from English to spread means to spread. This word denotes any soft product that can be spread on bread. You probably noticed that it is not so easy to evenly spread high-quality butter.
The spread, due to the presence of vegetable fats, has a more delicate texture. Thanks to this, it spreads much easier on bread. That is why the name "spread" has been assigned to this dairy and vegetable product.
Spread Classification
To decide between butter margarine and spread, you need to understand what these products are. So, in accordance with GOST, these types of spreads are distinguished:
Creamy Vegetable. It contains more than 50% milk fat. It has a sweet taste and a pleasant supple texture. Such a product has high nutritional value and is as close as possible to butter.
Vegetable and creamy. It contains 15-49% milk fat. It is characterized by a sour taste and a dense solid texture.
Vegetable fat. As part of such a product there is no milk fat and almost no cholesterol. It is as close as possible to margarine.
Spread Composition
On the product packaging with the presence of vegetable fats, clearly, the word "oil" should not be present. What is a spread? What is included in its composition? As a rule, in products with a low content of milk fat, a mixture of coconut and palm oils is used, in which there are practically no trans isomers.
Also, in the production of spreads, hydrogenated sunflower or sunflower oil is quite often used. They are characterized by a high content of trans isomers; therefore, they can be present in the product only in small quantities. As a rule, they are added to spreads with a high content of milk fat.
In the highest quality spreads, the content of trans isomers does not exceed 6-7%. This can be achieved by introducing transesterified fats into the composition. Thus, the melting process of the mixture approaches the process of melting natural shelf fat.
Spread and margarine
If the difference between spread and oil is clear, then most buyers are perplexed by the difference between spread and margarine. Many people believe that this is one and the same product, and “spread” is just a modern fashionable name. But this is not so. In the production of spreads, the presence of fatty acids in the dangerous transisomers is controlled (no more than 8%). But margarine production has almost no such restrictions.
Spread and butter
Try to compare what oil and spread are. Both products are based on milk fat. But plant components, phytosterol and vitamins are added to the spreads. It is also worth focusing on fatty acids. Butter contains saturated ones, and unsaturated ones prevail in spreads. The latter, according to WHO, are much safer in terms of the risk of heart disease.
Comparison of the compositions of the spread and butter is shown in the table:
| Key indicators of chemical composition | Quality spread | Natural butter |
| The basis | Vegetable fat | Milk fat |
| Cholesterol | - | 0.18% |
| Trans isomers | up to 8% | up to 8% |
| Saturated Fatty Acids | 41.5% | 61.6% |
| Unsaturated fatty acids | 58.1% | 34.4% |
| Monounsaturated Fatty Acids | 38.5% | 29.8% |
| Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids | 19.6% | 5.8% |
Spread benefits
The concentration of saturated fatty acids is one of the main indicators of how the spread differs from oil. In a plant-based product, it is an order of magnitude smaller. That is why WHO experts recommend replacing the butter with a spread. This solution has the following main advantages:
- low calorie content;
- high nutritional value;
- long shelf life;
- fortified composition;
- normalization of the digestive process;
- slowing down the aging process.
Possible harm
You can talk about the benefits of the spread only if it comes to a quality product. Otherwise, it can harm the body. This is also true if you abuse the product. Here are some negative consequences:
- diabetes;
- disturbances in the work of the heart and blood vessels;
- Alzheimer's disease;
- infertility;
- the appearance of neoplasms.
Signs of a quality spread
A well-known manufacturer, beautiful packaging, the correct composition and other surface characteristics do not yet guarantee that you have a quality product in your hands. You can finally verify this only by opening the package. Here are the signs that a quality spread has:
- Plastic and easily spread on bread. This property is maintained even with a chilled product.
- The surface should be glossy and the color should be white to slightly yellowish.
- The slice should be dry or slightly shiny.
- Taste and aroma should be sweetish, reminiscent of butter. A slight sourness is acceptable.
- Homogeneous consistency without extraneous inclusions.
How to distinguish oil from spread
In Europe, spreads were widespread back in the 30s. The first plant-based “spreads” were sold in pharmacies as a preventive product. But in the domestic consciousness, the spread has not yet taken root and could not displace natural butter. Some unscrupulous manufacturers use the naivety of the buyer, trying to sell him a plant product under the guise of natural dairy. In order not to fall for this trick, remember these distinctive features of real butter:
- Structure. Natural butter consists of milk and cream. Any herbal supplements indicate that you have a spread or margarine.
- Title. The label should say “Oil.” Neither "butter", nor "butter", namely "Oil". With such diminutive forms, unscrupulous manufacturers mask the plant product.
- Price. A natural milk-based product cannot be cheap. Its price should be below 200 rubles per kg.
- Color. It should be slightly yellowish. A pure white or bright yellow product is fake.
- Consistency. Oil, unlike margarine or spread, becomes chilled when chilled. It should not stick to the packaging and knife.
- Melting. Put a block of butter on a plate and leave it at room temperature for a while. If water droplets appear on the surface, then you have a margarine or spread. Natural oil melts evenly, the bar does not lose shape.
Conclusion
Spread - what is it? Butter or margarine? These products, clearly, cannot be identified. We can say that the spread is a cross between oil and margarine, depending on the ratio of animal to vegetable fats. This is a rather useful invention that allows people to enjoy their favorite product with minimal health risk. A quality spread can be a worthy substitute for natural butter.