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22 kilograms! per year β This is how much margarine the average Dane ate in 1936 β a world record. Margarine was invented as an alternative to butter in 1869 by the French Chemist Hippolyte MΓ©ge-Mouries. It was a success because it was cheap and offered the growing population a high-calorie, long-lasting food. The new βButterineβ became the first successful synthetic food, leading the way as food production moved from farm to factory.
FH Scandinox and Gerstenberg Services are proud to assist with the supply of the shown mini margarine factory model to the margarine exhibition at the Medical Museion in Copenhagen. The model shows a typical margarine factory from the 1980s. The four large storage tanks contain oils and melted fat, which are mixed in the smaller tanks. The mixing ratio depends, among others, on the type of margarine being produced, the price of raw materials, and the season. Colour, vitamins, antioxidants, and emulsifier that binds water and oil together are added, and water phase with milk or without milk, is then mixed in the last process step. The hot, liquid mixture is pumped through the crystallizer where the margarine emulsion is being cooled down before packing or filling.
Old drawings, blueprints from the beginning of the 1900s and some handwritten recipes from the 1930s were also delivered to the Medical Museion by Gerstenberg.
The exhibition is open for guests until 22 December 2024. More information can be found at the Medical Museion website:Β https://www.museion.ku.dk/en/margarine/