Generic term for amphiphilic substances of plant and animal origin
Not to be confused with Lectin.
An example of a phosphatidylcholine, a type of phospholipid in lecithin. Shown in red – choline residue and phosphate group; black – glycerol residue; green – monounsaturated fatty acid residue; blue – saturated fatty acid residue.The different forms of lecithin – powder, two different concentration liquids, granular and powder lecithin
Lecithin (/ˈlɛsɪθɪn/LESS-ith-in; from the Ancient Greek λέκιθοςlékithos "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.[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 Théodore Gobley.[4] In 1850, he named the phosphatidylcholine lécithine.[5] Gobley originally isolated lecithin from 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 hexane, ethanol, acetone, petroleum ether or benzene; or extraction can be done mechanically. Common sources include egg yolk,[7] marine foods, soybeans,[7] milk, rapeseed, cottonseed, and sunflower oil. It has low solubility in water, but is an excellent emulsifier. In aqueous solution, its 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, it is sometimes used as an emulsifier and to prevent sticking, for example in non-stick cooking spray.
^"Lecithin". Merriam Webster Dictionary Online. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
^Szuha BF (1989). "Chapter 7". Lecithins: Sources, Manufacture & Uses. The American Oil Chemist's Society. p. 109. ISBN 0-935315-27-6.
^Smith J, Hong-Shum L, eds. (2011). Food Additives Data Book (2nd ed.). Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. p. 334. ISBN 978-1-4443-9773-4. Complex mixture of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidic acid, glycolipids, etc.
^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.
^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 … )
^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.
^ ab"Lecithin: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage, and Warning". WebMD. 2019-01-30. Archived from the original on 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
Lecithin (/ˈlɛsɪθɪn/ LESS-ith-in; from the Ancient Greek λέκιθος lékithos "yolk") is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances...
Egg lecithin is a type of lecithin, a group of compounds primarily containing phospholipids, that is derived from eggs. Egg lecithin was first isolated...
member of the lecithin group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues. Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (lecithin) is a major...
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first phospholipid identified in 1847 as such in biological tissues was lecithin, or phosphatidylcholine, in the egg yolk of chickens by the French chemist...
Lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency is a disorder of lipoprotein metabolism. The disease has two forms: Familial LCAT deficiency, in which...
vegetables, with the exception of white beans and soy lecithin. Phosphatidylserine is found in soy lecithin at about 3% of total phospholipids. Table 1. Phosphatidylserine...
Lecithin retinol acyltransferase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the LRAT gene. Lecithin retinol acyltransferase is a microsomal enzyme that...
sources of lecithin, though the majority of lecithin commercially available is derived from soy.[page needed] Sufficiently processed lecithin is often undetectable...
derived in small amounts from highly purified soy lecithin as well as from purified sunflower lecithin. Alpha-GPC metabolizes to trimethylamine n-oxide...
amount of emulsifiers naturally found in butter, including a trace of lecithin, is used to form an oil-in-water emulsion. Although similar to hollandaise...
It functions essentially like lecithin used in food products, but with the possibility of vaporization which lecithin does not have. Triethyl citrate...
and natural sweeteners, natural and artificial flavorings, glycerol and lecithin as softening agents, aspartame (NutraSweet) and acesulfame K as artificial...
thickening agent is lecithin. Mustard – where a variety of chemicals in the mucilage surrounding the seed hull act as emulsifiers Soy lecithin is another emulsifier...
may appear in association with the following conditions: Liver disease: Lecithin—cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity may be decreased in obstructive...
100% fat, at least 98% of which is saturated. It also contains soybean lecithin. It is used in Australia for confectionery, such as rocky road, and a number...
inhalers used chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) as a propellant and contained soy lecithin in the propellant ingredients. In 2008 all CFC inhalers were phased out...
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