In production and in everyday life, butter is often replaced with margarine, which is a hydrogenated fat. After mixing vegetable fat with water, this mixture is flavored with emulsifiers, flavors, stabilizers and other additives and is offered at a price that is an order of magnitude lower than butter. Availability for the poor strata of society – that was the goal of creating margarine by order of Napoleon III. And now the popularity of this product is quite high, despite the high calorie content and potential threat to the body – the use of trans fats leads to diseases of the cardiovascular system, obesity, and metabolic disorders. It is mainly used for baking. Here we will talk about where and how much margarine is stored.
Margarine storage
The shelf life of margarine depends on its quality and storage temperature:
- from -20 °C to -10 °C margarine can be stored for 90 days;
- from -9°C to 0°C – 75 days;
- from 0 °С to 4 °С – 60 days;
- from 5 °С to 10 °С – up to 45 days.
Such standards apply to packaged product in parchment or foil. The storage terms indicated by manufacturers on margarine packages may vary depending on the packaging material. Soft bulk hydrogenated fat in a plastic container is stored for up to 75 days at a temperature of 0-10 °C. If the manufacturer indicates the storage conditions of margarine up to 15 °С, moreover, without prejudice to the duration of storage, this indicates the presence of a large number of preservatives in the composition of such a product.
Given the rather wide temperature range, table margarine at the enterprise can be kept both in frozen form and in the warehouse at a temperature above 0 °C. Thanks to stabilizers and other food additives, this product has a uniform soft consistency and will not melt even at room temperature.
How to store margarine at home
Housewives can store a product like margarine in two ways:
- in the fridge;
- in the freezer.
If when buying packaged margarine, you can be guided by the terms specified by the manufacturer, then the packaged product can be stored at the maximum permissible temperature for no more than 30 days.
In the fridge
The top and middle shelves are suitable for storing margarine in the refrigerator. The conditions in these places allow the product to stay there without compromising quality for 45 days. At the same time, it should be wrapped in parchment or special foil. It is better if it was a separate shelf, or too fragrant products would be far away, because margarine easily absorbs extraneous odors. Ideally, it should be placed in a plastic container with a tight lid.
In the freezer
Margarine can be stored in the freezer for up to 90 days, if it is possible to set the temperature there to -20 °C. At home, not everyone has a freezer with such capabilities. In standard freezers in household refrigerators, margarine can be stored for up to 75 days.
In the field of partial or complete defrosting, the product is not recommended to be re-frozen, as its structure may be disturbed. Due to the fact that margarine is obtained by emulsifying fats of vegetable origin with other components – milk, cream and artificial additives, the components may delaminate during repeated defrosting.
Other ways
At first glance, it is not worth storing margarine without a refrigerator, even given the fairly undemanding storage conditions, especially for a product with a high content of preservatives. Of course, you can’t leave it on the table, but it is quite possible to send it to the balcony in winter, if the temperature is suitable there. At the same time, it is important to ensure that it is tightly wrapped or placed in a food-tight container.