Lecithin

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Lectin.
saturated fatty acid
residue.
The different forms of lecithin – powder, two different concentration liquids, granular and powder lecithin

Lecithin (

lipophilic), and are used for smoothing food textures, emulsifying, homogenizing liquid mixtures, and repelling sticking materials.[1][2]

Lecithins are mixtures of glycerophospholipids including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidic acid.[3]

Lecithin was first isolated in 1845 by the French chemist and pharmacist

egg yolk and established the complete chemical formula of phosphatidylcholine in 1874;[6] in between, he demonstrated the presence of lecithin in a variety of biological materials, including venous blood, human lungs, bile, roe, and brains
of humans, sheep and chicken.

Lecithin can easily be extracted chemically using solvents such as

non-stick cooking spray
.

Production

Commercial lecithin, as used by food manufacturers, is a mixture of

oil. The lecithin can be obtained by water degumming the extracted oil of seeds. It is a mixture of various phospholipids, and the composition depends on the origin of the lecithin. A major source of lecithin is soybean oil. Because of the EU requirement to declare additions of allergens in foods, in addition to regulations regarding genetically modified crops, a gradual shift to other sources of lecithin (such as sunflower lecithin) is taking place.[8] The main phospholipids in lecithin from soy and sunflower are phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidic acid
. They are often abbreviated to PC, PI, PE, PS and PA, respectively. Purified phospholipids are produced by companies commercially.

Hydrolysed lecithin

To modify the performance of lecithin to make it suitable for the product to which it is added, it may be hydrolysed enzymatically. In hydrolysed lecithins, a portion of the phospholipids have one fatty acid removed by phospholipase. Such phospholipids are called lysophospholipids. The most commonly used phospholipase is phospholipase A2, which removes the fatty acid at the C2 position of glycerol. Lecithins may also be modified by a process called fractionation. During this process, lecithin is mixed with an alcohol, usually ethanol. Some phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, have good solubility in ethanol, whereas most other phospholipids do not dissolve well in ethanol. The ethanol is separated from the lecithin sludge, after which the ethanol is removed by evaporation to obtain a phosphatidylcholine-enriched lecithin fraction.

Genetically modified crops as a source of lecithin

As described above, lecithin is highly processed. Therefore, genetically modified (GM)

labelling of food containing additives derived from GMOs, including lecithin. Because it is nearly impossible to detect the origin of derivatives such as lecithin, the European regulations require those who wish to sell lecithin in Europe to use a meticulous, but essential system of identity preservation (IP).[9][12]

Properties and applications

Soy lecithin for sale at a grocery store in Uruguay

Lecithins have

nontoxic
when ingested.

The major components of commercial soybean-derived lecithin are:[13]

Lecithin is used for applications in human food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, paints, and other industrial applications.

Applications include:

  • In the pharmaceutical industry, it acts as a wetting agent, stabilizing agent and a choline enrichment carrier, helps in emulsification and encapsulation, and is a good dispersing agent. It can be used in manufacture of intravenous fat infusions and for therapeutic use.
  • In
    animal feed
    , it enriches fat and protein and improves pelletization.
  • In the
    metal oxide pigments, is a spreading and mixing aid, prevents hard settling of pigments, eliminates foam in water-based paints, and helps in fast dispersion of latex
    -based paints.
  • Lecithin also may be used as a release agent for plastics, an anti-sludge additive in motor lubricants, an anti-gumming agent in gasoline, and an emulsifier, spreading agent, and antioxidant in textile, rubber, and other industries.

Food additive

The nontoxicity of lecithin leads to its use with food, as a food additive or in food preparation. It is used commercially in foods requiring a natural emulsifier or lubricant.

In confectionery, it reduces viscosity, replaces more expensive ingredients, controls sugar crystallization and the flow properties of

cocoa powder), controls dust, and helps complete dispersion in water.[15] Lecithin keeps cocoa and cocoa butter in a candy bar from separating. It can be used as a component of cooking sprays
to prevent sticking and as a releasing agent.

In the EU Lecithin is designated at food additive E322.[16]

Dietary supplement

Lecithin contains dietary precursors to choline, an essential nutrient, which was formerly classified as a B vitamin (vitamin B4).[17][18] Lecithin is a mixture of fats that contains phospholipids, including phosphatidylcholine, and the human body can convert phosphatidylcholine into choline.[19][20][21] The choline content in lecithin can vary, but it's found that phosphatidylcholine makes up about 25 to 35 percent of lecithin. Furthermore, only about 12 percent of phosphatidylcholine is actually choline. This adds up to a choline content of approximately 4 percent for lecithin. For example, 10 grams of lecithin has 2,500mg of phosphatidylcholine.[21][19]

Phosphatidylcholine is approximately 13.7% choline; as such, about 342mg of choline is present per 10 grams of lecithin. Therefore, 10 grams of lecithin can be a source for the body to produce about the same amount of choline (342mg) as can be produced by the body from 2 egg yolks.[21][22][19] The recommended intake of choline varies depending on age, sex, and physiological conditions, and is roughly 500 mg per day for adults.[23][24]

Lecithin is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA.[25][20]

There is no robust, scientifically validated clinical research investigating the safety and effectiveness of high-dose lecithin supplementation in lactating women and their infants. A meta-analysis found no evidence that high doses of lecithin improved milk flow in

breast-feeding mothers or infants, though concluded that that "higher maternal choline intake was likely to be associated with better child neurocognition and neurodevelopment."[25][20]

Soy lecithin does not contain enough allergenic proteins for most people allergic to soy, although the US FDA only exempts a few soy lecithin products from its mandatory requirements for allergenic source labeling.[26] An alternative source of lecithin, derived from sunflowers, is available as a dietary supplement for those with concerns about soy-based foods.[27]

A 2003 review of randomized trials found no benefit of lecithin in people with dementia.[28]

Religious restrictions

Soy-derived lecithin is considered by some to be

Sephardi Jews, who do not have the same restrictions on rice and kitniyot during Passover.[29]

Muslims are not forbidden to eat lecithin per se; however, since it may be derived from animal as well as plant sources, care must be taken to ensure this source is halal. Lecithin derived from plants and egg yolks is permissible, as is that derived from animals slaughtered according to the rules of dhabihah.[30]

Sunflower lecithin, sourced from the seeds of sunflowers, is entirely plant-based and may be an option for those with religious or cultural concerns regarding food intake.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Lecithin". Merriam Webster Dictionary Online. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  2. ISBN 0-935315-27-6
    .
  3. ISBN 978-1-4443-9773-4
    . Complex mixture of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidic acid, glycolipids, etc.
  4. ^ Gobley T (1846). "Recherches chimiques sur le jaune d'œuf" [Chemical researches on egg yolk]. Journal de Pharmacie et de Chemie. 3rd series (in French). 9: 81–91.
  5. ^ Gobley T (1850). "Recherches chemiques sur les œufs de carpe" [Chemical researches on carp eggs]. Journal de Pharmacie et de Chemie. 3rd series (in French). 17: 401–430. Je propose de donner au premier le nom de Lécithine (de λεκιθος, jaune d'œuf), parce qu'on le rencontre en grande quantité dans le jaune d'œuf … (I propose to give to the former the name of lecithin (from λεκιθος, egg yolk), because it is encountered in great quantity in egg yolk … )
  6. ^ Gobley T (1874). "Sur la lécithine et la cérébrine" [On lecithin and cerebrin]. Journal de Pharmacie et de Chimie. 4th series (in French). 19: 346–353.
  7. ^ a b "Lecithin: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage, and Warning". WebMD. 2019-01-30. Archived from the original on 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  8. ^ Efting M (August 3, 2021). "Emulsifier alternative: sunflower lecithin". Food & Beverage Insider. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023. Sunflower lecithin is a promising alternative to the more common soybean lecithin, and could face increased demand from suppliers as a non-GMO product.
  9. ^ a b Marx GM (December 2010). Monitoring of genetically modified food products in South Africa (PDF) (PhD). University of the Free State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-09.
  10. ^ "Danisco emulsifier to substitute non-GM soy lecithin as demand outstrips supply". FoodNavigator. July 1, 2005. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  11. ^ "Regulation (EC) 50/2000". europa.eu. Archived from the original on 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
  12. doi:10.1079/PAVSNNR20072077. Archived
    from the original on 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  13. USDA
    .
  14. ISBN 978-0-8493-9688-5. Archived
    from the original on 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  15. PMID 27744169
    .
  16. ^ "Current EU approved additives and their E Numbers". UK Food Standards Agency. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  17. PMID 36950691
    .
  18. PMID 19906248
    .
  19. ^
    PMID 672614
    .
  20. ^ a b c "Lecithin use while Breastfeeding". Archived from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  21. ^
    PMID 7816350
    .
  22. S2CID 88884706
    .
  23. ^ "Office of Dietary Supplements - Choline". Archived from the original on 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  24. ^ "Choline". 11 August 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  25. ^
    PMID 30000831. Archived
    from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  26. ^ "Soybeans and soy lecithin". Food Allergy Research and Resource Program. University of Nebraska–Lincoln. 7 August 2018. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  27. PMID 32368129
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  28. PMID 12917896
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  29. ^ (Reb Yehonatan Levy, Shomer Kashrut Mashgiach - based upon halachic rulings of CRC - Chicago Rabbinic Council, and from shiurim/lessons by Rabbi D. Raccah on "Pesach Preparations" following commentary from former Rishon-LeTzion Rav Ovadia Yosef). OK Kosher Certification, Keeping Kosher for Pesach. Archived 2012-03-15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on September 10, 2008.
  30. ^ Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America FAQ, IFANCA: Consumer FAQ. Archived 2011-11-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on July 7, 2010. The practice of consuming Halal products is not widespread among Muslims, the practice is common with Muslims who follow Sharia laws.

External links