Editing Lecithin (section)

==Properties and applications==
{{more citations needed|section|date=May 2022}}
[[File:Lecitina de soja en Montevideo.jpg|thumb|Soy lecithin for sale at a grocery store in Uruguay]]
Lecithins have [[emulsion|emulsification]] and [[lubricant]] properties, and are a [[surfactant]]. They can be completely [[metabolism|metabolized]] (see [[inositol]]) by humans, so are well tolerated by humans and [[nontoxic]] when ingested.

The major components of commercial soybean-derived lecithin are:<ref>{{cite journal |title=Composition of Soybean Lecithin |url=http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/26685/PDF |first=C. R. |last=Scholfield |journal=Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society |volume=58 |number=10 |date=October 1981 |pages=889–892 |via=[[USDA]] |access-date=2014-08-21 |doi=10.1007/bf02659652 |s2cid=9876375 |archive-date=2014-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014112849/http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/26685/PDF |url-status=dead |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* 33–35% soybean oil
* 20–21% [[phosphatidylinositol]]s
* 19–21% [[phosphatidylcholine]]
* 8–20% [[phosphatidylethanolamine]]
* 5–11% other [[phosphatide]]s including [[phosphatidylserine]]
* 5% free [[carbohydrate]]s
* 2–5% [[sterol]]s
* 1% moisture

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 [[compound feed|animal feed]], it enriches fat and protein and improves pelletization.
* In the [[paint]] industry, it forms protective coatings for surfaces with painting and [[printing ink]], helps as a [[rust]] inhibitor, is a colour intensifying agent, [[catalyst]], conditioning aid modifier, and dispersing aid; it is a good stabilizing and suspending agent, emulsifier, and [[wetting agent]], helps in maintaining uniform mixture of several [[pigment]]s, helps in grinding of [[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 [[plastic]]s, 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 [[chocolate]], helps in the homogeneous mixing of ingredients, improves shelf life for some products, and can be used as a coating. In emulsions and [[Spread (food)|fat spread]]s, such as [[margarine]]s with a high [[fat]] content of more than 75%, it stabilizes emulsions, reduces spattering (splashing and scattering of oil droplets) during [[frying]], improves texture of spreads and flavor release.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=INZa6WmqDA8C&pg=PA340 |chapter=Food Uses of Oils and Fats |title=The Lipid Handbook |editor1-first=Frank D. |editor1-last=Gunstone |editor2-first=John L. |editor2-last=Harwood |editor3-first=Albert J. |editor3-last=Dijkstra |publisher=CRC Press |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-8493-9688-5 |page=340 |access-date=2019-08-19 |archive-date=2024-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406201020/https://books.google.com/books?id=INZa6WmqDA8C&pg=PA340#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[dough]]s and [[baking]], it reduces fat and egg requirements, helps even out distribution of ingredients in dough, stabilizes [[fermentation (food)|fermentation]], increases volume, protects [[yeast]] cells in dough when frozen, and acts as a releasing agent to prevent sticking and simplify cleaning. It improves wetting properties of [[hydrophilic]] powders (such as low-fat proteins) and [[lipophilic]] powders (such as [[cocoa powder]]), controls dust, and helps complete dispersion in water.<ref name="Riehm">{{cite journal | last1=Riehm | first1=David A. | last2=Rokke | first2=David J. | last3=Paul | first3=Prakash G. | last4=Lee | first4=Han Seung | last5=Vizanko | first5=Brent S. | last6=McCormick | first6=Alon V. | title=Dispersion of oil into water using lecithin-Tween 80 blends: The role of spontaneous emulsification | journal=Journal of Colloid and Interface Science| volume=487 | date=2017-02-01 | issn=0021-9797 | pmid=27744169 | doi=10.1016/j.jcis.2016.10.010 | bibcode=2017JCIS..487...52R | pages=52–59}}</ref> Lecithin keeps [[Cocoa solids|cocoa]] and [[cocoa butter]] in a [[chocolate bar|candy bar]] from separating. It can be used as a component of [[cooking spray]]s to prevent sticking and as a releasing agent.

In the EU Lecithin is designated at [[food additive]] [[E number|E322]].<ref name=FSA5>{{cite web |url=http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/chemsafe/additivesbranch/enumberlist#h_6 |title=Current EU approved additives and their E Numbers |publisher=UK [[Food Standards Agency]] |access-date=26 November 2010 |archive-date=7 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007124435/http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/chemsafe/additivesbranch/enumberlist#h_6 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Dietary supplement===
Lecithin contains dietary precursors to [[choline]], an essential nutrient, which was formerly classified as a B vitamin (vitamin B<sub>4</sub>).<ref name="pmid36950691">{{cite journal |vauthors=Kansakar U, Trimarco V, Mone P, Varzideh F, Lombardi A, Santulli G |title=Choline supplements: An update |journal=Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) |volume=14 |issue= |pages=1148166 |date=2023 |pmid=36950691 |pmc=10025538 |doi=10.3389/fendo.2023.1148166 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Zeisel SH, da Costa KA 2009 615–23">{{cite journal |last1=Zeisel |first1=S. H. |author-link=Steven Zeisel |last2=da Costa |first2=K. A. |title=Choline: an essential nutrient for public health |journal=Nutrition Reviews |volume=67 |issue=11 |pages=615–623 |date=November 2009 |pmid=19906248 |pmc=2782876 |doi=10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00246.x}}</ref> Lecithin is a mixture of fats that contain phospholipids—including phosphatidylcholine, which makes up about 25 to 35 percent of lecithin—and the human body can convert phosphatidylcholine into choline.<ref name="pmid672614"/><ref name="drugs-bf"/><ref name="pmid7816350"/> Further, about 12 percent of phosphatidylcholine is already choline, so that choline makes up some 3 to 4 percent of lecithin.<ref name="pmid7816350"/><ref name="pmid672614"/>

Phosphatidylcholine is approximately 13.7% choline; as such, about 342&nbsp;mg 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 (342&nbsp;mg) as can be produced by the body from 2 egg yolks.<ref name="pmid7816350">{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1753-4887.1994.tb01357.x |title=Lecithin and Choline in Human Health and Disease |date=2009 |last1=Canty |first1=David J. |last2=Zeisel |first2=Steven H. |journal=Nutrition Reviews |volume=52 |issue=10 |pages=327–339 |pmid=7816350 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Health benefits of lecithin and choline|  author=D. L. Miller|  journal=Cereal Foods World| year=2002|  volume=47|  pages=178–184| s2cid=88884706}}</ref><ref name="pmid672614">{{cite journal |vauthors=Hirsch MJ, Growdon JH, Wurtman RJ |title=Relations between dietary choline or lecithin intake, serum choline levels, and various metabolic indices |journal=Metabolism |volume=27 |issue=8 |pages=953–60 |date=August 1978 |pmid=672614 |doi=10.1016/0026-0495(78)90139-7 |url=}}</ref> The recommended intake of choline varies depending on age, sex, and physiological conditions, and is roughly 500&nbsp;mg per day for adults.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/ | title=Office of Dietary Supplements - Choline | access-date=2024-04-06 | archive-date=2021-09-23 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923075227/https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/choline/ | title=Choline | date=11 August 2020 | access-date=6 April 2024 | archive-date=6 April 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406145112/https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/choline/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

Lecithin is [[generally recognized as safe]] (GRAS) by the FDA.<ref name="lactmed"/><ref name="drugs-bf">{{cite web | url=https://www.drugs.com/breastfeeding/lecithin.html | title=Lecithin use while Breastfeeding | access-date=2024-04-06 | archive-date=2022-07-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704094103/https://www.drugs.com/breastfeeding/lecithin.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

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 "higher maternal choline intake was likely to be associated with better child neurocognition and neurodevelopment."<ref name="lactmed">{{cite web | title=Lecithin | publisher=Drugs and Lactation Database, National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health | pmid=30000831 | url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30000831/ | date=20 September 2021 | access-date=19 May 2022 | archive-date=19 May 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519161909/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30000831/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="drugs-bf"/>

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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Soybeans and soy lecithin |url=https://farrp.unl.edu/soy-lecithin |website=Food Allergy Research and Resource Program |publisher=University of Nebraska–Lincoln |date=7 August 2018 |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-date=6 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406201012/https://farrp.unl.edu/soy-lecithin |url-status=live }}</ref> An alternative source of lecithin, derived from sunflowers, is available as a dietary supplement for those with concerns about soy-based foods.<ref name="pmid32368129">{{cite journal |vauthors=Rondanelli M, Riva A, Allegrini P, Faliva MA, Naso M, Peroni G, Nichetti M, Gasparri C, Spadaccini D, Iannello G, Infantino V, Fazia T, Bernardinelli L, Perna S |title=The Use of a New Food-Grade Lecithin Formulation of Highly Standardized Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Acmella oleracea Extracts for the Treatment of Pain and Inflammation in a Group of Subjects with Moderate Knee Osteoarthritis |journal=J Pain Res |volume=13 |issue= |pages=761–770 |date=2020 |pmid=32368129 |pmc=7183537 |doi=10.2147/JPR.S214488 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

A 2003 review of randomized trials found no benefit of lecithin in people with [[dementia]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Higgins |first1=J. P. |last2=Flicker |first2=L. |pmid=12917896 |title=Lecithin for dementia and cognitive impairment |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |date=2003|volume=3|issue=3 |page=CD001015 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD001015}}</ref>

===Religious restrictions===
Soy-derived lecithin is considered by some to be ''[[kitniyot]]'' and prohibited on [[Passover]] for [[Ashkenazi Jews]] when many grain-based foods are forbidden, but not at other times. This does not necessarily affect [[Sephardi Jews]], who do not have the same restrictions on rice and ''kitniyot'' during Passover.<ref>(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, [http://www.okkosher.com/Content.asp?ID=172 Keeping Kosher for Pesach.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315173355/http://www.okkosher.com/Content.asp?ID=172 |date=2012-03-15 }} Retrieved on September 10, 2008.</ref>

[[Muslim]]s 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 the source is [[Halal#Foods|halal]]. Lecithin derived from plants and egg yolks is permissible, as is that derived from animals slaughtered according to the rules of ''[[dhabihah]]''.<ref>Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America FAQ, [http://www.ifanca.org/faq/#lecithin IFANCA: Consumer FAQ]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123122312/http://www.ifanca.org/faq/#lecithin |date=2011-11-23 }}. 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.</ref>

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.