Lecithin: Soy to the World ft. India
Historically,lecithin was only a by-product of vegetable oil refining processes where substances containing phosphorus (phospholipids) were removed to give the oil better stability as also facilitate further processing. But with time, Lecithin came to be treated as a valuable co-product by Oil refineries having variety of applications as an additive.
Soy is presently the most popular source of commercial Lecithin –thanks to sufficient production at reasonable prices. It is also the most widely applied emulsifier across all industries including food, personal healthcare, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
The initial vegetable oil extraction happens by either pressing or solvent extraction process from seed. The remains are called flakes or gums. Further extraction of oil from its flakesis done by adding water to it at a higher temperature and forcing amphiphilic or water-loving lipids to set apart from the oil.These separated water-loving phospholipids are then extracted through centrifugation or steam precipitation.
That is how we get a clear, viscous, free-flowing liquid called Soy Lecithin with its characteristic taste and odour.It is a sans-protein alliance of naturallyoccurring phospholipids – Phosphatidylcholine (PC), Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and Phosphotidylinositol (PI).
Things to keep in mind before deciding on Soy Lecithin
Non-GMO origin
It is extremely crucial to distinguish well between genetically-modified (GMO) and non-genetically modified (Non-GMO) origins of soy lecithin. India is one of the few countries having strict laws against usage of GMO seeds for a number of crops including Soy. Therefore, India is a global leader in superior quality Non-GMO soy seeds and thereby lecithin in its various forms. Soy to the World, you see!
What if you’re allergic to soy?
The soybean allergens are found in the protein fraction, which is almost entirely removed in the soy lecithin manufacturing process.Thus, due to a small risk of reaction, most practitioners donot caution people who are allergic to soy against soy lecithin consumption. Still, some people with extreme soy allergies may react to it.So the highly sensitive to allergen are duly cautioned against it.Soy lecithin can be consumed in three forms – liquid, powder & granules.
Stay tuned to know more about the benefits of Lecithin, alternative sources of lecithin like sunflower, rapeseed, milk and egg yolk in our upcoming blog series.
Here, we take your leave. Wish you a week of good health ahead!
~ Lecilite Ingredients
We shall go through the diverse aspects of lecithin in our weekly blog series. Stay tuned with us atLecilite Ingredientsand check our website lecilite.comto immerse into the fascinating world of Lecithin.