Is Blue Band a Molecule Away from Plastic?

Is Blue Band a Molecule Away from Plastic?

Blue Band Margarine

A viral video of popular margarine Blue Band manufactured by Unilever which does not melt in water has surfaced online this morning.
A quick search on the web revealed older videos of the same product in some blogs in Nigeria. Comments were varied and some bordering on hilarious.


This video comes amid other contraband products that have been netted by Kenya Revenue Authority. Some of these products include Fruit Juices, Sugar (allegedly containing high proportions of Mercury and other elements - known not fit for human consumption)

In February 2014, Unilever had posted a position for a spy to help it fights fakes riding on their brands. Demand for security experts is rising in corporate Kenya as companies move to guard their business secrets from aggressive competitors and prevent fraud from eating into their revenues according to the article on Business Daily.

As old as 2009 - news of Blue Band Margarine not melting has appeared on the web - like this post on Wazua Forums 
And more recently, the Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria opened an inquiry on the alleged margarine not melting in hot water (Read post here)
 

Watch the Viral Video Here

Now back to the question - Is Blue Band a Molecule Away from Plastic?  - I went to this article on the Huffington Post to understand whether Blue Band is a molecule away from plastic

“Margarine is one molecule away from plastic.”
This is by far one of the more popular myths. Simply put: This is not true. Many substances share similar chemical structures or compositions, but it’s the variations in these structures or ways they are arranged that make a difference in their properties and to the end product. Most types of margarine are blends of vegetable oils, while plastics are usually a polymer (chain of repeating molecules) of ethylene molecules (four hydrogen atoms and two carbon atoms). Even if they were both made from vegetable oil the variation in their chemical structures would result in different end products. So adding another molecule to margarine does not turn it into plastic. The bottom line is that many substances share similar chemical properties but even the smallest variation can set them a world apart in terms of what they are.

Property Focus: Kenya Re Towers, Nairobi - Upper Hill

This relatively new property is situated along an unnamed access road, ap-proximately 100 metres off Ragati Road in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area. It is identified as Kenya Re Towers adjacent to the European Union and opposite the Japanese Embassy. The property is in neighbourhood of Britak Centre and Rahimtullah Towers among others.

This outstanding masterpiece with steel and glass cladding finishes is home to major corporate like Bamburi Cement, Ernst & Young, Kenya Tourist Board, Kenya Roads Board and diplomatic institutions like the IMF among others. There is a cafeteria on the ground floor and a candy shop on the parking level. 

It is a twin tower building with one tower rising to 10 office floors and another one with six (6) floors. There are three (3) upper parking floors and one (1) basement parking floor.

The building is served by a standby generator, modern panoramic lifts and bo-rehole water supply.

The building is connected to the fibre network for communications

Upper Hill Nairobi now host to Africa's Tallest Building

Upper Hill Nairobi now host to Africa's Tallest Tower


Construction of Hass Tower 1 in Nairobi has started,  with the excavation that has been going on since November last year almost complete. Hass Tower 1 is a 66-floors mixed-use high-rise building under construction on a 3-acre plot located in Nairobi’s Upper Hill — dubbed Africa’s fastest rising high-end central business district.




Once complete the building will rise 300m (980ft), making it the tallest building in Africa after the 50-floor South Africa’s Carlton Centre in Johannesburg, as of now the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa at 223m (732ft). Currently,  the tallest completed building in Kenya is the 33-floor UAP towers at 163 m (535 ft).


Interestingly, 40 storeys Hass Tower 2 will be built on the same plot to make a twin tower property once complete. The project, designed jointly by Archgroup and Meinhardt Group, will consist of a 40 storied luxury hotel tower, a 66 storied office tower, class A retail space, a helipad and a parking.
source: EastAfrican.com