Newsletter article
Butter or margarine? A food scientist describes their subtle chemical deviations and how they can affect your baked goods
The Conversation
10 Jun 2026
Abstract
My mother loves butter. It is the primary fat I ate growing up. She smeared it on any kind of bread, potatoes, nut rolls or coffeecake. She baked with it exclusively.
When I was studying nutrition in college, I had a teaching assistant who recommended margarine over butter. I was shocked – and wondered about the difference between the two. It was one of the things that sparked my interest in food science. Today, I am a food scientist and study how foods such as butter and margarine can have subtle chemical differences, with a big impact on how they act in food.
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Details
- Title
- Butter or margarine? A food scientist describes their subtle chemical deviations and how they can affect your baked goods
- Creators
- Rosemary E Trout - Drexel University, Health Sciences
- Publication Details
- The Conversation
- Resource Type
- Newsletter article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Health Sciences
- Other Identifier
- 991022186874504721