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CAS Number: 8002-43-5
Molecular Formula: C42H80NO8P
Lecithin is also known as alpha-phosphatidylcholines, lecithinum ex soya, sojalecithin, or soy lecithin.
Lecithin is a group of chemicals that are related.
Lecithin isn’t a single chemical.
Lecithins belong to a larger group of compounds called phospholipids.
These are important parts of the brain, blood, nerves, and other tissues.
Phospholipids are also a part of cell membranes.
The body uses lecithin in the metabolic process and to move fats.
Lecithins turn into choline in the body.
They help make the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
Lecithin is commonly used as a food additive to emulsify foods.
Many people know lecithin as the oily film on their frying pan when they use a nonstick cooking spray.
Lecithin (/ˈlɛsɪθɪn, ˈlɛsəθ-/, from the Greek lekithos "yolk") is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues which are amphiphilic – they attract both water and fatty substances (and so are both hydrophilic and lipophilic), and are used for smoothing food textures, emulsifying, homogenizing liquid mixtures, and repelling sticking materials.
Lecithins are mixtures of glycerophospholipids including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidic acid.
Lecithin was first isolated in 1845 by the French chemist and pharmacist Théodore Gobley.
In 1850, he named the phosphatidylcholine lécithine.
Gobley originally isolated lecithin from egg yolk – λέκιθος lekithos is "egg yolk" in Ancient Greek – and established the complete chemical formula of phosphatidylcholine in 1874; in between, he had demonstrated the presence of lecithin in a variety of biological materials, including venous blood, human lungs, bile, human brain tissue, fish eggs, fish roe, and brains of sheep and chicken.
Lecithin can easily be extracted chemically using solvents such as hexane, ethanol, acetone, petroleum ether or benzene; or extraction can be done mechanically.
Common sources include egg yolk, marine foods, soybeans, milk, rapeseed, cottonseed, and sunflower oil.
Lecithin has low solubility in water, but is an excellent emulsifier.
In aqueous solution, Lecithin phospholipids can form either liposomes, bilayer sheets, micelles, or lamellar structures, depending on hydration and temperature.
This results in a type of surfactant that usually is classified as amphipathic.
Lecithin is sold as a food additive and dietary supplement.
In cooking, Lecithin is sometimes used as an emulsifier and to prevent sticking, for example in non-stick cooking spray.
Lecithin is a mixture of fats that are essential to cells in the human body.
Lecithin can be found in many foods, including soybeans and egg yolks.
In the diet, lecithin is the main source of choline, a nutrient similar to the B vitamins.
Lecithin is converted into acetylcholine, a substance that transmits nerve impulses.
People use lecithin for Alzheimer disease and dementia, Parkinson disease, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Lecithin is a fat that is essential in the cells of the body.
Lecithin can be found in many foods, including soybeans and egg yolks.
Lecithin is taken as a medicine and is also used in the manufacturing of medicines.
Lecithin is used for treating memory disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Lecithin is also used for treating gallbladder disease, liver disease, certain types of depression, high cholesterol, anxiety, and a skin disease called eczema.
Lecithin is converted into acetylcholine, a substance that transmits nerve impulses.
Lecithin describes a substance that's naturally found in the tissues of your body.
Lecithin made up of fatty acids, and Lecithin has a variety of commercial and medical uses.
Lecithin works as an emulsifier, meaning Lecithin suspends fats and oils and keeps them from mixing with other substances.
Lecithin supplements can be purchased to help treat high cholesterol, as a breastfeeding aid, and to treat ulcerative colitis, among other things.
Lecithin is used for binding things together that do not naturally bind in the food, drug, and cosmetic industries.
Proposed drug use of lecithin includes treatment for high levels of cholesterol in the blood, nerve disorders, manic disorders, and liver ailments.
However, no quality clinical trials exist to support lecithin's use for these indications.
Lecithin is a nutrient that occurs naturally in food and is also sold as a dietary supplement.
Lecithin can be found in green vegetables, red meat, and eggs.
Supplements are often made from soybeans, egg yolks, or animal products.
Lecithin supplements are used to lower cholesterol.
Lecithin may also benefit some neurological and inflammatory conditions.
However, lecithin supplements are not approved to prevent or treat any condition.
Lecithin is not a single substance.
Lecithin is a group of chemicals that belongs to compounds called phospholipids.
Phospholipids are a type of fat that helps maintain the integrity of cells.
They are vital to the normal functioning of the brain, nerves, liver, and other organs.
Lecithin is used in cooking is as an emulsifier.
Lecithin helps to stabilize ingredients that do not easily mix, such as oil and water.
In baking, lecithin is used as a dough condition to create a softer, more refined end product.
Lecithin can also be used as an egg replacement.
Lecithin is also used in cosmetics, eye drops, and skin moisturizers.
A perfect natural creation – lecithin is a genuine all-rounder.
This is down to Lecithin amazing structure: the active components of lecithin (phospholipids) are both lipophilic and hydrophilic, meaning that they are attracted to both water and fatty substances.
This handy property makes lecithin indispensable for a wide array of technological requirements in the food industry.
Lecithin mixes with fats/oils and with water, making Lecithin ideal as an emulsifier.
Thanks to lecithin, immiscible substances, such as water and oils, form stable emulsions.
Depending on the application, lecithins can be used to produce water-in-oil emulsions (W/O emulsions) and oil-in-water emulsions (O/W emulsions).
In the natural world, phospholipids are essential building blocks of cell walls (membranes) and support digestion – and occur in every plant and animal cell.
Lecithin supplements are usually derived from sunflower seeds, eggs, or soybeans.
Soy is by far the ingredient most commonly used to create lecithin supplements.
Animal fats, fish, and corn are also sometimes used.
While soybean lecithin tends to come in granulated capsule form, you can buy sunflower lecithin in both powder and liquid form, too.
Sunflower lecithin isn’t as common, but some people prefer Lecithin, especially if they’re trying to avoid genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their food.
While soybeans are sometimes genetically modified in mass production, sunflower seeds aren’t.
The process of extraction is also gentler for sunflower lecithin.
Extracting lecithin from the sunflower seeds doesn’t require harsh chemicals.
Lecithin is a fatty substance mostly used for emulsifying and homogenising liquid, and smoothen food textures.
Lecithin inclusion in food products helps with prevention from sticking to packaging material.
The fatty substance is usually extracted from seeds, plant tissue, and certain animals.
Lecithin also holds properties that to treat eczema is often applied to the skin as a moisturiser or used as an ingredient in one.
lecithin, also called Phosphatidyl Choline, any of a group of phospholipids (phosphoglycerides) that are important in cell structure and metabolism.
Lecithins are composed of phosphoric acid, cholines, esters of glycerol, and two fatty acids; the chain length, position, and degree of unsaturation of these fatty acids vary, and this variation results in different lecithins with different biological functions.
Pure lecithin is white and waxy and darkens when exposed to air.
Commercial lecithin is brown to light yellow, and Lecithin consistency varies from plastic to liquid.
The term lecithin is also used for a mixture of phosphoglycerides containing principally lecithin, cephalin (specifically phosphatidyl ethanolamine), and phosphatidyl inositol.
Commercial lecithin, most of which comes from soybean oil, contains this mixture and, commonly, about 35 percent neutral oil.
Lecithin is widely used as a wetting and emulsifying agent and for other purposes.
Among the products in which Lecithin is used are animal feeds, baking products and mixes, chocolate, cosmetics and soaps, dyes, insecticides, paints, and plastics.
Lecithin is added to pet food as an emulsifier, allowing oils and water to mix and to keep fats from separating.
Lecithin also acts as a preservative and can offer some nutritional benefits.
Lecithin is a source of choline, which is essential to every living cell in the body and is one of the main components of cell membranes.
Without choline, the cell membranes would harden, prohibiting important nutrients from entering and leaving the cell.
Lecithin is also to provide additional benefits in improving brain function, depression, and treating liver and gall bladder disease as well as some skin disorders such as eczema.
Lecitin is available in soy, sunflower and canola varieties and may be organic, non-GMO and have reduced viscosity for ease of use.
Types of lecithin:
Lecithin supplements are usually derived from sunflower seeds, eggs, or soybeans.
Soy is by far the ingredient most commonly used to create lecithinsupplements.
Animal fats, fish, and corn are also sometimes used.
While soybean lecithin tends to come in granulated capsule form, you can buy sunflower lecithin in both powder and liquid form, too.
Sunflower lecithin isn't as common, but some people prefer Lecithin, especially if they're trying to avoid genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their food.
While soybeans are sometimes genetically modified in mass production, sunflower seeds aren't.
The process of extraction is also gentler for sunflower lecithin.
Extracting lecithin from the sunflower seeds doesn't require harsh chemicals.
Food Sources of Lecithin:
Foods that are good sources of lecithin include:
Organ meats like liver
Red meat
Seafood
Eggs
Peanuts
Wheat germ
Canola oil
Sunflower oil
Green vegetables like broccoli, and Brussels sprouts
Legumes like black beans, kidney beans, and soybeans
Health Benefits of Lecithin:
In your body, lecithin is broken down into a substance called choline.
The body uses choline to:
Transport fat
Regulate metabolism
Maintain cells
Help nerves transmit information
Choline is not readily produced by the body.
Most of Lecithin comes from the foods we eat.
Lecithin is used to treat many health conditions.
It is said to:
Enhance athletic performance
Alleviate stress and anxiety
Lower cholesterol
Reduce inflammation
Improve liver function
Prevent the onset of dementia
Benefits of Lecithin:
Improves heart health:
Lecithin that comes from soy can improve cardiovascular health, especially if you’re already at risk of developing high blood pressure or heart disease.
This is according to a small study in which participants were given soy products including lecithin additives.
Since soy is complicated to digest, Lecithin takes your body longer to break soy products down.
For some people, this works to make them feel more full after consuming Lecithin.
Aids breastfeeding mothers:
Some breastfeeding experts recommend lecithin as a solution for preventing recurrent plugged ducts.
The Canadian Breastfeeding Foundation recommends a dose of 1,200 milligrams, four times per day, to experience this benefit.
They speculate that lecithin may decrease the viscosity of your breast milk, making Lecithin less likely to clog milk ducts in your breast.
This isn’t meant to be a treatment for plugged ducts, however.
Treat ducts with:
Application of warm compresses
Massage
Extra pumping, if needed
Draining the breast well
Asking a lactation consultant for more suggestions
Report any fever or flu-like feelings to your doctor.
Helps improve digestion:
Lecithin has been tested in people with ulcerative colitis to improve their digestion.
Lecithin’s emulsifying qualities contribute to a chain reaction that improves the mucus in your intestine, making the digestive process easier and protecting the delicate lining of your digestive system.
Even if you don’t have ulcerative colitis, you might want to consider using lecithin if you have irritable bowel syndrome, or another condition that affects your digestive process.
May fight dementia symptoms:
Lecithin contains choline, which is a chemical your brain uses to communicate.
Clinical researchTrusted Source suggests that a diet rich in choline can lead to a sharper memory and help people with Alzheimer’s.
Lipid substances that contain choline, like lecithin, may improve the brain’s functional pathways.
There’s some conflicting evidence on if lecithin can be used to treat people that have neurological and nervous system conditions, but research into this benefit of lecithin is promising and moving forward.
Soothes and moisturizes skin:
Lecithin is in the ingredients of some skin care products.
Lecithin used as an emollient, making skin feel smooth by restoring hydration.
In most of these products, the kind of lecithin used is called hydrogenated lecithin.
There’s not a lot of evidence that lecithin, when used alone, can cure acne and eczema — although some people use Lecithin for that.
Taking lecithin capsules could theoretically improve your skin, since Lecithin tones and stimulates other parts of your body, but we don’t know for sure.
Risks and complications:
People with egg and soy allergies need to be especially careful to find out where the lecithin in their supplements comes from, to avoid allergic reactions.
Lecithin can be found in a lot of the products that you may already eat, like eggs and animal products.
There’s no risk from the lecithin that occurs naturally in your food.
Supplements, however, are not monitored for quality by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
There may be effects that aren’t yet understood.
People taking lecithin need to be aware of dosing recommendations, and shouldn’t exceed more than 5,000 milligrams per day.
Uses of Lecithin:
Lecithin is used to treat a number of health conditions.
To date, there is little evidence that Lecithin is effective.
Lecithin is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent or treat any conditions.
High Cholesterol:
A 2010 study found that soy lecithin reduced cholesterol.
The study found that 500 milligrams of lecithin taken daily for two months reduced total cholesterol levels by 42% and "bad" LDL cholesterol levels by 56.15%.
This suggests lecithin may work as a supplemental treatment for high cholesterol.
Other studies have been less promising.
Lecithin also plays a role in atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Some studies suggest that too much lecithin may increase the risk of heart disease.
More research is needed.
Herbs and Supplements That Lower Cholesterol:
Ulcerative Colitis:
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Ulcerative colitis has been linked to low levels of phosphatidylcholine, a chemical found in lecithin.
This chemical is a component of mucus in the digestive tract.
Lecithin helps protect the colon from inflammation and bacteria.
A 2010 study found that lecithin supplements reduced bowel inflammation in people with ulcerative colitis.
Participants who took lecithin had a 50% reduction in inflammation compared to those who took a placebo.
Unfortunately, the study included only 18 adults.
Other studies have not found similar benefits.
Mastitis:
Mastitis is an inflammation of breast tissues.
Lecithin is common in breastfeeding mothers.
Clogged milk ducts can lead to mastitis.
Some studies have found that lecithin can help prevent clogged milk ducts.
Lecithin appears to make breastmilk less thick.
That said, lecithin is still not well studied in people with mastitis.
Lecithin should not be used without first asking an obstetrician or other health professional.
Alzheimer's Disease:
Choline derived from lecithin is thought to improve symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Lecithin may also help people with other types of dementia, including Parkinson's dementia.
Lecithin is thought to help increase nerve transmissions in the brain.
This may ease the symptoms of progressive neurologic disorders, diseases that cause damage to the brain and nerves over time.
To date, though, there isn't any evidence to support this.
Some animal studies do suggest that lecithin may help protect nerve cells.
Lecithin may reduce the risk of dementia by slowing the degeneration of glial cells.
These are cells that protect and stabilize brain tissues.
More research is needed.
Features and Applications of Lecithin:
Lecithins have emulsifying and lubricating properties and are a surfactant.
They can be completely metabolized by humans (see inositol), therefore they are well tolerated by humans and are non-toxic when ingested.
The main components of lecithin from commercial soybeans are:
33–35% soybean oil
20–21% phosphatidylinositols
19-21% phosphatidylcholine
8-20% phosphatidylethanolamine
5-11% other phosphatids
5% free carbohydrates
2–5% sterols
1% humidity
Lecithin is used for applications in human food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, dyes and other industrial applications.
Applications include of Lecithin:
In the pharmaceutical industry, Lecithin acts as a wetting agent, stabilizing agent and choline enrichment carrier, helps emulsification and encapsulation, and is a good dispersing agent.
Lecithin can be used in the manufacture of intravenous oil infusions and for therapeutic use.
Lecithin enriches fat and protein in animal feeds and improves pelletization.
In the paint industry, Lecithin creates protective coatings for paint and printing ink surfaces, helps as a rust inhibitor, color intensifying agent, catalyst, softener co-modifier and dispersion aid.
Lecithin is a good stabilizing and suspending agent, emulsifier and wetting agent, helps maintain homogeneous mixture of several pigments, helps grind metal oxide pigments, is a spreading and mixing aid, prevents pigments from hardening, eliminates foam in water.
Lecithin helps to disperse based paints and latex based paints fast.
Lecithin can also be used as a release agent for plastics, an anti-sludge additive in motor oils, an anti-gum agent in gasoline, and an emulsifier, spreading agent and antioxidant in the textile, rubber and other industries.
Food additive of Lecithin:
The non-toxicity of lecithin leads to Lecithin use with food, as an additive or in food preparation.
Lecithin is used commercially in foods that require a natural emulsifier or lubricant.
Lecithin reduces viscosity in confectionery, replaces more expensive ingredients, controls sugar crystallization and flow properties of chocolate, aids in homogeneous mixing of ingredients, extends shelf life for some products, and can be used as a coating.
In emulsions and fat spreads such as margarines with a high fat content of over 75%, Lecithin stabilizes emulsions, reduces spatter (splatter and scattering of oil droplets) during frying, and improves the texture and flavor release of spreads.
Lecithin reduces the need for oil and eggs in doughs and baking, helps to even out the distribution of ingredients in the dough, stabilizes fermentation, increases volume, protects yeast cells in dough when frozen, and acts as a release agent that prevents sticking and makes cleaning easier.
Lecithin improves the wetting properties of hydrophilic powders (such as low-fat proteins) and lipophilic powders (such as cocoa powder), controls dust and aids complete dispersion in water.
Lecithin inhibits the separation of cocoa and cocoa butter in a candy bar.
Lecithin can be used as a component of cooking sprays and a release agent to prevent sticking.
Lecithin has been approved for human consumption by the United States Food and Drug Administration with the status of "generally recognized as safe."
Lecithin is recognized as a food additive defined by the EU as E322.
Dietary Supplement of Lecithin:
Because Lecithin contains phosphatidylcholines, lecithin is a source of choline, an essential nutrient.
There is no clinical evidence for the safety or effectiveness of high doses of lecithin for improving milk flow in nursing mothers or infants.
Soy lecithin does not contain enough allergenic protein for most people with soy allergies, but the US FDA exempts only a few soy lecithin products from their mandatory requirements for allergenic source labeling.
A 2003 review found no benefit of lecithin in people with dementia.
Eeligious Restrictions of Lecithin:
Soy-derived lecithin is considered by some to be kitniote and is prohibited for Ashkenazi Jews on Passover, when many grain-based foods are prohibited, but not at other times.
This doesn't necessarily affect Sephardic Jews, who don't have the same restrictions on rice and kitniote during Passover.
Lecithin is not forbidden for Muslims to eat lecithin alone; however, care should be taken to ensure that this source is halal as Lecithin may be of animal or vegetable origin.
Lecithin obtained from plants and egg yolk and lecithin obtained from animals slaughtered according to the rules of dhabihah are permissible.
Production of Lecithin:
Commercial lecithin, as used by food manufacturers, is a mixture of phospholipids in oil.
The lecithin can be obtained by water degumming the extracted oil of seeds.
Lecithin 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.
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 Lecithin suitable for the product to which Lecithin is added, Lecithin 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) protein or DNA from the original GM crop from which Lecithin is derived often is undetectable – in other words, Lecithin is not substantially different from lecithin derived from non-GM crops.
Nonetheless, consumer concerns about genetically modified food have extended to highly purified derivatives from GM food, such as lecithin.
This concern led to policy and regulatory changes in the EU in 2000, when Commission Regulation (EC) 50/2000 was passed which required labelling of food containing additives derived from GMOs, including lecithin.
Because Lecithin 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).
Mechanism of Action of Lecithin:
Lecithin contains fatty acids that can activate gene controlling receptors (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors).
Once activated, these receptors play a major role in energy balance and metabolic function
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors exist in many types of tissues such as in the heart, liver, muscle, fat, and intestine.
These tissues rely on the receptor activation for promotion of fatty acid, ketone bodies, and glucose metabolism.
Ketone bodies are used by the body as a source of energy.
Also Known As of Lecithin:
Alpha-phosphatidylcholine
Egg lecithin
Lecithinum ex soya
Ovolecithin
Sojalecithin
Soya lecithin
Soy lecithin
Soy phospholipid
Soybean lecithin
Vegilecithin
Vitellin
Vitelline
Synonyms of Lecithin:
Lecithin
lecithol
vitellin
kelecin
granulestin
1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine
EGG YOLK LECITHIN
EGG YOLK LECITHINS
GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) LECITHIN
GLYCINE SOJA LECITHIN
LECITHIN, SOYBEAN
LECITHINS
LECITHINS, EGG YOLK
SOYBEAN LECITHIN
SOYBEAN PHOSPHOLIPID
ACTI-FLOW 68SB
AF 1
PC
kelecin
LECITHIN
froM Egg
Alcolec-S
granulestin
L-α-Lecithin
LIPOID(R)E80
Lecithin, NF
Phospholutein
lecitin
lecıtın
lesıtın
lecıthın
lesidin
lezidin
lezitin
