Lecithan Products Offer Nutritional Benefits

Food processors are taking a new look at a familiar ingredient that will provide nutritional health benefits to their consumers. Lecithan offers food products designers a two-pronged approach by providing natural, nutritional, benefits for the consumer and processing advantages for the manufacturer.

Today, commercial soy-based lecithins are used as emulsifiers, lubricants, dispersing aids, wetting agents, and release agents.

Phospholipids are the constituents of commercial lecithins that are nutritionally important. As cell-membrane nutrients, phospholipids support numerous cell functions, helping the body maintain health and recover from damage.

Two of the most important phospholipids processed from lecithin, phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl serine, are currently produced by Lucas Meyer as dietary supplements.

PC is the major building block of liver cells. Clinical studies show that PC supplements help the liver recover after damage from alcohol, pollutants, virsuses and other toxic agents.

PS is a brain-cell nutrient that boosts memory and improves learning, concentration and mood, according to clinical studies cited by Lucas Meyer. It also eases muscle soreness associated with the stress of physical exercise.

New food applications could include adult cereal enriched with PS to help counteract brain aging, sports drinks with PS enrichment to help athletes avoid over-training, and nutrition bars enriched with PC to support the liver's detox functions.

Lucas Meyer, a leader in lecithin technology, is one of the first companies to develop production methods to isolate phospholipids from soy lecithin.