Introduction
Lecithin. Whether you’ve heard about this natural product or not, you’ve certainly consumed some products in which it is a vital ingredient.
Rich, silky chocolate bars, margarine, noodles, powdered milk, salad dressings. Even the pharmaceutical and cosmetic products you use – capsules, tablets, lotions, creams and serums – have lecithin in them. As do paints, textiles, and pesticide formulations.
So, what is this versatile product? And given its diverse applications, how can you get involved in the lecithin manufacturing process and capture a part of this growing market?
In this post, we’re diving into the varied food and non-food uses of lecithin, the factors influencing the industry, and the details of the lecithin manufacturing process. If starting a business in lecithin production has been on your mind, you’re in the perfect place for a primer on all the fundamentals.
What is lecithin?
Lecithin is a naturally occurring compound found in plant as well as animal sources. It is the common name for the chemical phosphatidyl choline, one of the phosphatides derived from the degumming of crude vegetable oils. More generally, however, the term “lecithin” is used to refer to the entire array of phosphatides or phospholipids present in all crude vegetable oils. These phospholipids are a class of lipids or fats that form the structural basis of cell membranes.
Phosphatidyl choline, a.k.a. lecithin, has a unique characteristic that makes it as versatile and popular as it is – its emulsifying property. This means that this naturally occurring chemical acts as a bridge between oil and water, two substances which wouldn’t otherwise mix. This emulsifying ability makes lecithin essential in processes where smooth texture and stability are important – think food, cosmetics, even paint.
Beyond its emulsifying nature, lecithin is also valued for its functional and health benefits. Choline, derived from phosphatidyl choline, is an important nutrient for brain, liver, and skin health.
The market for lecithin production
The lecithin market is not limited by geography or industry. In the United States, for example, the lecithin industry is quite mature, having become well established as far back as 1940.
Globally, the lecithin market was valued at about USD 1.2 billion in 2020. Ever since, the market is predicted to have grown significantly, with increasing health consciousness, an expanding food industry, and evolving food choices shaping demand.
Critically, the demand for lecithin comes from such varied industries that growth in any one contributes to growth in the market for lecithin.
As one of the most valuable by-products of the oilseed industry, lecithin production caters to myriad food and non-food industries.
In the food industry, lecithin serves as an emulsifying agent, a wetting agent, a release agent, for viscosity reduction, and crystallisation control.
In baking, it helps strengthen dough, improving its elasticity and helping it retain moisture to result in softer breads, cakes and cookies with longer shelf lives. In confectionery, it helps create creamy, smooth-textured chocolates with long shelf lives. In sauces, margarine, salad dressings and mayonnaise, it prevents oil and water from separating, keeping these packaged foods shelf-stable, visually appealing and with a smooth consistency.
In recent years, the growing shift towards vegan lifestyles has also propelled the growth of lecithin production. Lecithin can be produced from animal-derived products like eggs, but when produced from soybean or sunflower seeds, it can serve as a natural emulsifier in vegan spreads, plant-based milks, and other dairy alternatives like vegan cheese and faux meats.
Beyond these functional benefits, lecithin is also being accepted as a nutraceutical. Lecithin, a source of choline, is being incorporated into supplements and functional foods aimed at improving brain and liver function.
In non-food industries, too, the production of lecithin is critical to meet demand from the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and skincare, paint, textile, and agriculture industries.
In the pharmaceutical industry, lecithin’s emulsifying and stabilising properties make it a natural binder in tablets, capsules, syrups, and other liquid medications. Lecithin is also central to the development of liposomal drug delivery systems, used to encapsulate medication in tiny lipid particles to enhance the bioavailability of drugs.
In the cosmetics industry, lecithin’s moisturising and conditioning properties make it vital to the production of serums, lotions, and creams. As a penetration enhancer, it also helps active ingredients penetrate deeper into the skin. In shampoos and conditioners, it improves product texture. The shift towards more conscious consumption has also propelled the production of lecithin for the cosmetics industry.
As a dispersant in paints and coatings, a softening and conditioning agent for textiles and leather, and an adjuvant in pesticide formulations, the applications of lecithin are wide-ranging. It’s no surprise, then, that the lecithin market is only expanding with time.
The first step in the lecithin manufacturing process: Responsible sourcing
The lecithin manufacturing process begins with sourcing the right raw materials for it. This isn’t always straightforward – it requires a deep understanding of locally available feedstocks, appropriate processing technologies, regional legislations, and changing customer preferences.
Lecithin can be derived from soybeans, sunflower seeds, rapeseeds, egg yolks and other plant- and animal-based products. Currently, soybean oil is the most widely used feedstock for the preparation of lecithin, with this plant oil accounting for roughly 90% of global lecithin production. This popularity can be attributed to its affordability and high availability, with soybean oil being the world’s leading vegetable oil.
While soybean remains the most widely used raw material for lecithin production, a significant proportion of soybeans worldwide is genetically modified. Lecithin from GMO and non-GMO sources have been shown to be equivalent, but some markets – particularly the European market – prefer non-GMO lecithin.
For this reason, sunflower and canola/rapeseed lecithin are also gaining popularity. The fatty acid composition, pleasant nutty flavour, and allergy-friendly profile of sunflower lecithin also contribute to its growing use. The sunflower oil lecithin market is seeing the highest growth in Argentina, France, Hungary, Ukraine, and Russia. Meanwhile, the rapeseed oil lecithin market is seeing its strongest growth in India. Recent research has also shown that lecithin can be extracted from other plant materials like camelina seed.
As we mentioned earlier, animal-derived products like eggs can also be used for the production of lecithin. Egg lecithin, for instance, is preferred for specialised uses like high-end food products. But plant-based sources have greater consumer acceptance, especially as vegan and plant-based diets become more widely adopted worldwide.
Ultimately, the feedstock chosen for the production of lecithin depends on its intended use, with each source having slightly different properties, suitable for different applications.
That’s it for part 1 of this blog post on the production of lecithin. Stay tuned for part 2, where we’ll cover the steps involved in the lecithin manufacturing process.
The crux of the matter: The preparation of lecithin
Recovering lecithin from oil is a fairly straightforward process. The lecithin manufacturing process hinges on the hydration of phosphatides using water or steam; this reaction is followed by the recovery of lecithin using a centrifuge and drying to eliminate moisture.
Before and after the hydration process, however, multiple steps and processes determine the yield, quality, and properties of the final lecithin product.
Since lecithin is produced from plant-based oils, the first stage of the lecithin manufacturing process is to procure the oil from the seeds, fruit, or beans – this involves oilseed harvesting, preparation, and extraction.
Oilseed preparatory steps will vary based on the feedstock being used. This stage will generally include cleaning, cracking, and dehulling for soybeans.
Oil extraction, like in most other cases, is carried out using either mechanical extraction or solvent extraction. The former results in a lower yield, but since no chemicals are used, it is considered safer and healthier, especially when it comes to human consumption. Mechanical extraction also maintains the organic profile of the lecithin derived. When used for the production of natural sunflower lecithin, this process yields non-GMO, organic lecithin that is preferred in many markets.
On the other hand, solvent extraction gives a greater yield, but involves the use of chemical solvents, typically hexane. While this process is completely safe, extra caution must be taken to ensure all the solvent is separated from the oil. Solvent extraction is typically used in the production of soy lecithin. (If a non-GMO, organic soy lecithin is required, mechanical extraction can also be employed, though care should be taken about the origin of the soybean to ensure it is not genetically modified.)
When the extracted crude oil is being refined, one of the most important steps is degumming – the process in which water is used to separate the gums or phospholipids from the oil. It is during this step that lecithin is produced as a by-product.
Depending on the application of the lecithin, it is further refined – this may involve drying, filtration and/or bleaching – to improve its quality, colour and texture, and enhance its concentration.
Note: Only half the phosphatides in soybeans are extracted when conventional solvent extraction is used. That’s why in the lecithin manufacturing process, preparatory steps like the Alcon process or expanders should be used to increase the phosphatidyl choline content by 30 to 40%, thereby increasing the total extracted phosphatides.
More recently, a relatively new method called enzymatic hydrolysis is also being explored for lecithin production. This process involves using enzymes to break down plant material, extracting oil and lecithin in the process. Not only is this process more eco-friendly because it doesn’t use harmful chemicals, but it also yields larger quantities of oil and lecithin. Nevertheless, enzymatic hydrolysis is a more complex process; it also requires the use of more sophisticated and specialised machinery.
Lecithin refining, modification, and customisation
The extracted crude lecithin may be put through further process to improve its quality and longevity like pretreatment, vacuum drying, acetone extraction, spray drying, milling, and packaging. Depending on its end use and the relevant quality standards.
Beyond refining, lecithin may also be modified and customised for specific uses. Depending on the applications for which you are producing lecithin, the final product that you obtain can be in liquid, granular, or powdered form.
Let’s take the use of lecithin as an emulsifier in food processing – if you supply to food processing industries, you would want to produce liquid lecithin. In the pharmaceutical industry, however, powdered lecithin is the form of choice for many formulations and dietary supplements.
When you want the powdered form of lecithin, you must de-oil it using appropriate techniques. For industrial applications, you may have to fractionate or enrich the lecithin to enhance certain properties like its thermal stability or water dispersibility.
Quality control in lecithin production
From start to finish, the lecithin manufacturing process must be carefully monitored and controlled to ensure that the final product meets the quality standards imposed by local, regional, and global regulatory bodies.
Beyond regulatory compliance, effective quality control is essential to maximise lecithin’s quality, utility, and functionality. This covers processing conditions from cultivation, harvest, storage and transport of the oilseeds to crude oil storage, pretreatment, drying, bleaching, and chemical modification – each of these processes can influence the quality of the lecithin used in your chocolates, sauces, dips, and medicines.
So, what steps does good quality control include? It includes the selection of high-quality raw materials. It involves careful monitoring of extraction and refining processes, with SOPs that prevent any sort of errors or contamination in the first place. Ensuring lecithin quality and safety for human use also requires regular testing for contaminants like heavy metals, microbes, and pesticides.
Once lecithin has been produced, you or your laboratory partner can use analytical methods like spectroscopy and chromatography to assess the purity and composition of the product. Many such quality processes are governed by ISO and FDA regulations.
Producing lecithin appropriate for your customers and their industry
At the end of the day, every part of your lecithin manufacturing process must comply with stringent quality control measures that not only protect your customers but also enhance your brand’s reputation and the marketability of lecithin-based products.
If you’re looking for a partner in your lecithin manufacturing operations, write to us. Our expert teams have just the solutions you need for all your oilseeds-related processes.
