Production and Utilization of Natural Phospholipids

Phospholipids (PLs) are the major components of biological membranes and are important biochemical intermediates in the growth and functioning of cells, both in plants and in animals. PLs mainly from vegetable origin (vegetable lecithins) are derived commercially from oil-bearing seeds such as soybeans, sunflower kernels, and canola (rapeseed) and are widely used for their emulsifying and structural improvement properties in food matrices. In biochemistry and medicine, the name lecithin is exclusively given to the sn-3 phosphatidylcholine. This chapter defines lecithin as a mixture of PLs with adherent glycolipids and oil. Vegetable lecithins contain predominantly Phosphatidylcholine (PC), Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), Phosphatidylinositol (PI), Phosphatidic acid (PA), small amounts of Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), and other glycerol PLs of complex fatty acid composition. Animal lecithins are sourced from egg, dairy, and marine species, including krill. Due to their surface-active properties, PLs are used as emulsifiers in foods as well as in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, feed, and technical applications. PLs also have nutritional functions because they contain organic bound choline, inositol, and fatty acids. Both vegetable and animal lecithins are gaining interest due to their nutritional and technological qualities. The chapter summarizes the current state of industrial knowledge toward the production and utilization of natural phospholipids and focuses on the production of canola lecithin and egg lecithin.