| Lecithin or phosphatidycholine (PC) is a | | | | of lecithin sold commercially. |
| phospholipid, first discovered in the | | | | Aside from food, organic lecithin has a |
| 1800s by a French scientist called | | | | multitude of other uses and has been |
| Maurice Gobley. He extracted the | | | | added to paints, metal tape, animal |
| compound from an egg yolk and in 1850 | | | | feeds and cosmetics. In addition to |
| the compound was named lecithin from the | | | | that, it is sometimes used as a |
| word lekithos, which is the Greek term | | | | supplement in things such as capsules, |
| for egg yolk. | | | | granules or pills. |
| This lecithin was first used | | | | There are a number of effects that are |
| commercially as an emulsifying agent for | | | | related to lecithin. For one, it keeps |
| a number of years. It could extend the | | | | fat dispersed in food. It prevents the |
| life of many processed foods so the food | | | | oils from separating. In fact, one |
| industry began to add it to all kinds of | | | | theory is, that it in this way it may |
| food products including baked goods, nut | | | | help keep the cholesterol levels in a |
| butters, candies, chocolates, protein | | | | body low in the same way. This is still |
| drinks, prepared foods and instant | | | | a theory though. Lecithin allows the fat |
| soups. The lecithin would also be added | | | | content in foods to be reduced while |
| to recipes for flavor and also to be an | | | | maintaining the taste. |
| emulsifying agent. | | | | Organic lecithin is comprised of |
| In the 1930's when there was a boom in | | | | ethanolamine, insotil, phosphatides of |
| soyabean consumption, the byproduct of | | | | choline and other lipids. All living |
| the soyabean processing was discovered | | | | organisms have these substances which |
| to include 1.8 percent of | | | | are necessary in the human for the |
| hydrophosphatides. If this sludge was | | | | muscles, liver and the reproductive |
| put through a process called "degumming" | | | | tract. |
| organic lecithin could be extracted and | | | | Lecithins must be studied further by the |
| it would be an alternative to the | | | | medical research community. It may be a |
| lecithin from eggs. With this new | | | | potential treatment for high |
| development, lecithin really gained in | | | | cholesterol. It keeps the fat in the |
| popularity. | | | | bile and disperses cholesterol. Right |
| In fact the organic lecithin from the | | | | now lecithin has been added to a number |
| soybean turned out to be a safer | | | | of dietary supplements for weight loss. |
| product. The animal's lecithin goes | | | | Organic lecithin holds great promise in |
| through the kidneys and may come in | | | | the weight loss and cholesterol control |
| contact with all sorts of toxins. The | | | | fields of medicine. In addition it is |
| soyabean lecithin hasn't got that kind | | | | very important to modern day food |
| of potential pitfall so presently | | | | processing. |
| soybean lecithin makes up the main part | | | | |