Egg lecithin

An example of a phosphatidylcholine, a type of phospholipid in egg lecithin. Red - choline and phosphate group; Black - glycerol; Green - unsaturated fatty acid; Blue - saturated fatty acid

Egg lecithin is a type of lecithin, a group of compounds primarily containing phospholipids, that is derived from eggs.

Discovery

Egg lecithin was first isolated in 1846 by the French chemist and pharmacist Theodore Gobley.[1] Gobley originally isolated lecithin from egg yolkλέκιθος (lekithos) is 'egg yolk' in ancient Greekand established the complete chemical formula of phosphatidylcholine in 1874.

Biology

Phosphatidylcholine a major component of egg lecithin, occurs in all cellular organisms, being one of the important components of the phospholipid portion of the cell membrane. Other components include phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingomyelin.

Production

Egg lecithin is usually extracted chemically using ethanol, acetone, petroleum ether but not benzene or hexane due to restrictions on residual solvents by the pharmaceutical regulations.[2] It is an emulsifier, especially for parenteral use since it does not need to be metabolized. 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 is usually classified as amphipathic.

Commercial egg lecithin, specified in the United States National Formulatory (USP/NF) as used by pharmaceutical companies, is a highly purified mixture of phospholipids, devoid of triglycerides, cholesterol, or proteins.

Properties and applications

Egg lecithin has emulsification and lubricant properties, and is a surfactant. It can be totally integrated into the cell membrane in humans, so does not need to be metabolized and is well tolerated by humans and nontoxic when ingested; some synthetic emulsifiers can only be excreted via the kidneys.

Applications include:

Egg lecithin is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration with the status "generally recognized as safe"[5] and listed in the compendium.

Compatibility with special diets

Egg-derived lecithin is not usually a concern for those allergic to eggs since commercially available food grade egg lecithin is devoid of allergy causing egg proteins. Egg lecithin is not a concern for those on low-cholesterol diets, because the lecithin found in eggs markedly inhibits the absorption of the cholesterol contained in eggs.[6]

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.