Modification of lecithin by physical, chemical and enzymatic methods

Abstract

The term "lecithin" is commonly used to refer to a complex mixture of naturally occurring phospholipids. A class of phospholipids, lecithins chemically exist as ester derivatives of phosphatidic acid. Lecithins are suitably modified to produce products possessing improved emulsifying properties besides increased dispersibility in aqueous systems. The products are used in a gamut of applications like food, pharmaceuticals, plastics, paints, coatings, cosmetics, pesticides, petroleum etc. The present review explores in great detail the various methods of producing structurally diverse lecithins and elucidates the advantages of these methods with regard to the specific applications of the modified products.

Optimization of the Synthesis of Structured Phosphatidylcholine with Medium Chain Fatty Acid

“…PLs , providing their physiological roles, are versatile ingredients for the formulation of systems to deliver functional compounds 7,8 , PLs possess a very low toxicity and SPLs can be prepared by various synthesis routes 17,18 .…”

Enrichment of lecithin with n-3 fatty acids by acidolysis using immobilized phospholipase A1

“…Several studies and reviews have been published concerning the modification of phospholipids using physical, chemical and enzymatic methods (Adlercreutz et al, 2002;Van Nieuwenhuyzen, 1981; ENRICHMENT OF LECITHIN WITH N-3 FATTY ACIDS BY ACIDOLYSIS USING IMMOBILIZED PHOSPHOLIPASE A1 Joshi et al, 2006;Lilja-Hallberg and Härröd, 1995;Mutua and Akoh, 1993;Hossen and Hernandez, 2005;Vikbjerg et al, 2005b). Several review papers provide comprehensive compilations of reports on the enzymatic modification of PL and their industrial applications (D'Arrigo and Servi, 1997;De Maria et al, 2007;Guo et al, 2005;Servi, 1999, Van Nieuwenhuyzen, 1981.…”

Soybean-based Surfactants and Their Applications

“…Separation is realised by the adsorption of neutral lipids while PLs pass through the column [Schneider, 1989]. However, de-oiling results in an increase in the PL content without changing the ratios of the PL types [Joshi et al, 2006] [Wu & Wang, 2003;. Both the PC-and PI-enriched fractions show a much lower critical micelle concentration (CMC) than commercial lecithin.…”