Food chemistry, fat experiment and palm oil in late Soviet politics and industry

This article discusses the development of food chemistry in the Soviet Union beginning in the late 1950s. It analyses how, amid a growing cult of chemistry, scientists sought to address food crises and envisioned the creation of modern, scientifically engineered food. This study examines the scientific beliefs and experiments as well as their political relevance in response to persistent food shortage. Emphasising the fact that these experiments were successful in the laboratories but limited in industrial production, the article examines initiatives such as synthesising food – the project aimed at replacing animal fats as well as the use of palm oil in food manufacturing. The article argues that these experiments highlighted how science could economically address food shortage, reflecting the progressivist aspects of food history. This article was published open access under a CC BY 4.0 licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .