April 27, 2012 By Joan L. McDaniel
What does Margarine, Crisco, Puritan Oil, “Fat-Free” “Vegetable Oil” and “Diet” all have in Common? Answer: Trans Fat
Nobel laureate Paul Sabatier worked in the late 1890s to develop the chemistry of hydrogenation, which enabled the creation of margarine, oil hydrogenation, and synthetic Methanol, (methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits). In 1905-1910, Normann built a fat-hardening facility at the Herford Company. In 1909 Procter & Gamble facing the loss of business with their candle business, acquired the US rights to the Normann patent. The initial intent was to completely harden oils for use as raw material for making soap. After rejecting the name “Cryst” due to negative religious connotations, the product was eventually called Crisco, a modification of the phrase ‘crystallized cottonseed oil”.
I remembered my childhood and the then new Oil called Crisco, it was all we used to cook and bake. Entering the name ”Crisco” in a search engine and mother linda’s site came up. Her write-up is great and clearly tells the story of “Crisco” .
Trans-fat was the most consumed type of fat in the U.S., it is in potato chips, pre-made cookies, or microwave dinners. It has caused at least 20,000 deaths a year of heart disease.
Due to pressure by several health groups and the public Trans-fat has been forced off the market by an FDA ruling. Note: If there is less than 500 milligrams Trans Fat can stay.
Also note: the Trans Fat name has been changed to protect ___?__. Terms like Diet, Fat-Free, Vegetable Oil, etc.
Hydrogenation – Created in 1907 by E.C. Kayser for Procter and Gamble to manufacture a man made cooking Fat called Crisco to replace the natural occurring fat from meat called Lard. The process added a hydrogen atom to the fatty acid chain which created a Polyunsaturated fat or Trans fat. We now know that partially hydrogenated oils are bad for us. Polyunsaturated fats readily oxidize when exposed to heat, light, or oxygen. They spontaneously oxidize and become destructive free-radicals. Once free-radicals are formed they attack other unsaturated fats and proteins steeling an electron and creating more free radicals. Saturated Fats like Lard are very resistive to oxidation. Antitoxins are used to fight free-radicals more of that latter.
Free Radical – An atom or group of atoms that has at least one unpaired electron and is therefore unstable and highly reactive. In animal tissues, free radicals can damage cells and are believed to accelerate the progression of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and age-related diseases.
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/free-radical#ixzz1zEKcvW1e
Crisco is currently still in business but the battle over Trans-Fat which will be my next post.
They call their product “Vegetable Oil”, which is Trans Fat in disguise.
The Rise and Fall of Crisco © Mother Linda’s
The story of how Procter & Gamble successfully demonized lard.
http://www.motherlindas.com/crisco.htm
Lard – is produced from the fat of meat. It is similar to tallow (candle wax) in composition. Before the 1920s America cooked with lard. Now in America Lard is basically no longer used due to the false claim of raising cholesterol and causing heart disease. Lard had been used for centuries before American College educated busy buddies and big business came up with Low-Fat Diet. Dr. Keys.
“Chances are the reason you are overweight is because you aren’t eating enough fat. Yes, you read that correctly. The reason you may have a weight problem is because you don’t eat enough fat. We eat less fat now than ever before. In the past people ate whole milk, butter, and eggs, and relished in the fat in meats. Everything was cooked in lard and butter. Nowadays we avoid fats like a plague.” Dr Fife Coconut Oil Research Center.
Now we eat Trans Fats OH I MEAN VEGETABLE OIL.
Criscowas first marketed in 1911. It was the first hydrogenated cottonseed oil or polyunsaturated fat. Crisco was a marketing success story. Prior to 1910, dietary fat consisted of butterfat, beef tallow, and lard. In 1910 Napoleon was the first to use margarine to feed the troops with the shortage of butter during the French Revolution.
In America with the encouragement of his socialist friends, Upton Sinclair wrote the novel, The Jungle, which demonized the meat packing industry. With the resulting decrease in sales of tallow and lard, PGs previously developed product now received a receptive audience. Crisco, a hydrogenated soybean cooking oil, turned a liquid into a solid fat. Crisco was marketed as the new cleaner, less expensive and superior lard.
“I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach.” Upton Sinclair
