Lecithins processing

Erickson, D. R., Degumming and lecithin processing and utilization, in Practical Handbook of Soybean Processing and Utilization, D. R. Erickson (Ed.), pp. 174-183, AOCS, Champaign, IL, 1995. 

DEGUMMING, LECITHIN PROCESSING, AND PHYSICAL REFINING PRETREATMENT... 

Figure 6 illustrates a typical degumming operation integrated with lecithin processing. If lecithin is produced for edible purposes, the crude oil is first filtered to... 

M. Schneider, Industrial production of phospholipids — lecithin processing, Lipid Technology, 1997, 9, pp.109-116. M. Schneider, Lipid Technologies and Applications (ed, F.D. Gunstone and... 

M. Schneider, Industrial production of phospholipids-lecithin processing, Lipid Technology, 1997,9, 109-116. M. Schneider, Lipid Technologies and Applications (ed. F.D. Gunstone and F.B. Padley) Marcel Dekker, New York (1997), pp.51-78. E.F. Sipos and B.F. Szuhaj, Bailey s Industrial Oil and Fat Products, (ed. Y.H. Hui) John Wiley Sons, New York (1996), Volume 1, pp.311-395. 

Lecithin processing is performed in four subsequent unit operations. 

Cationic surfactants may be used [94] and the effect of salinity and valence of electrolyte on charged systems has been investigated [95-98]. The phospholipid lecithin can also produce microemulsions when combined with an alcohol cosolvent [99]. Microemulsions formed with a double-tailed surfactant such as Aerosol OT (AOT) do not require a cosurfactant for stability (see, for instance. Refs. 100, 101). Morphological hysteresis has been observed in the inversion process and the formation of stable mixtures of microemulsion indicated [102]. 

Le Bas method Leblanc process Lecigran Leciprime Lecithin... 

Commercial cmde lecithin is a brown to light yeUow fatty substance with a Hquid to plastic consistency. Its density is 0.97 g/mL (Uquid) and 0.5 g/mL (granule). The color is dependent on its origin, process conditions, and whether it is unbleached, bleached, or filtered. Its consistency is deterrnined chiefly by its oil, free fatty acid, and moisture content. Properly refined lecithin has practically no odor and has a bland taste. It is soluble in aflphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, including the halogenated hydrocarbons however, it is only partially soluble in aflphatic alcohols (Table 5). Pure phosphatidylcholine is soluble in ethanol. 

Cmde soy lecithin is obtained as a by-product during the degumming process of soy oil. The phosphoms-containing compounds are removed to improve the stabiHty of the oil. 

Only a minor proportion of the total lecithin that is potentially available in the vegetable processing industry is produced. If the phosphoHpids are not to be made into commercial lecithin, they may be left in the cmde oil or, if they are to be separated from the cmde oil as wet gum, they may be mixed into soybean meal for animal feed. 

Purification Processes. Separation of neutral and polar Hpids, so-called deoiling, is the most important fractionation process in lecithin technology (Fig. 3). Lecithin is fluidized by adding 15—30% acetone under intensive agitation with acetone (fluidized lecithin acetone, 1 5) at 5°C. The mixture goes to a separator where it is agitated for 30 minutes. The agitator is then stopped and the lecithin separates. The oil micella is removed and the acetone evaporated. After condensation the acetone is returned into the process. 

Due to possible environmental problems with acetone, new technologies are being developed for the production of deoiled lecithins involving treatment of Hpid mixtures with supercritical gases or supercritical gas mixtures (10—12). In this process highly viscous cmde lecithin is fed into a separation column at several levels. The supercritical extraction solvent flows through the column upward at a pressure of 8 MPa (80 bar) and temperature between 40 and 55°C. The soy oil dissolves together with a small amount of lecithin. 

To produce highly purified phosphatidylcholine there are two industrial processes batch and continuous. In the batch process for producing phosphatidylcholine fractions with 70—96% PC (Pig. 4) (14,15) deoiled lecithin is blended at 30°C with 30 wt % ethanol, 90 vol %, eventually in the presence of a solubiHzer (for example, mono-, di-, or triglycerides). The ethanol-insoluble fraction is separated and dried. The ethanol-soluble fraction is mixed with aluminum oxide 1 1 and stirred for approximately one hour. After separation, the phosphatidylcholine fraction is concentrated, dried, and packed. 

Pig. 4. Batch process for producing phosphatidylcholine fractions. 1, Ethanol storage tank 2, deoiled lecithin 3, solubiHzer 4, blender 5, film-type evaporator 6, ethanol-insoluble fraction 7, ethanol-soluble fraction 8, aluminum oxide 9, mixer 10, decanter 11, dryer 12, aluminum oxide removal 13, phosphatidylcholine solution 14, circulating evaporator 15, cooler 16, dryer and 17, phosphatidylcholine. 

In the continuous process for producing phosphatidylcholine fractions with 70—96% PC at a capacity of 600 t/yr (Pig. 5) (16), lecithin is continuously extracted with ethanol at 80°C. After separation the ethanol-insoluble fraction is separated. The ethanol-soluble fraction mns into a chromatography column and is eluted with ethanol at 100°C. The phosphatidylcholine solution is concentrated and dried. The pure phosphatidylcholine is separated as dry sticky material. This material can be granulated (17). 

Fig. 5. Continuous process for producing phosphatidylcholine. 1, Lecithin 2, ethanol 3, blender 4, diffuser 5, thin-type evaporator 6, ethanol-insoluble fraction 7, heat exchanger 8, chromatography column (Si02) 9, prestream 10 and 12, phosphatidylcholine solution 11, circulating evaporator 13, dryer ...

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) have much longer life spans in the body (5 to 6 days) than other lipoproteins. Newly formed HDL contains virtually no cholesterol ester. However, over time, cholesterol esters are accumulated through the action of lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), a 59-kD glycoprotein associated with HDLs. Another associated protein, cholesterol ester transfer protein, transfers some of these esters to VLDL and LDL. Alternatively, HDLs function to return cholesterol and cholesterol esters to the liver. This latter process apparently explains the correlation between high HDL levels and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. (High LDL levels, on the other hand, are correlated with an increased risk of coronary artery and cardiovascular disease.)... 

Lecithin is also an antioxidant, helping to keep fats from going rancid (but in the process, going rancid itself). 

The solubilization of water in lecithin-reversed micelles has been found to be an exothermic process. This finding confirms that water interacts with the zwitterionic head group of lecithin, promoting the formation of strong intermolecular H bonds [104]. 

Solubility and dissolution are processes that take place in the gastric and the luminal fluids, not on the surface of epithelial cells. Measurement of solubility ideally needs to take place at pH 1.7 (stomach) and pH 5-8 (small intestinal tract). Ideally, the screen media should resemble intestinal fluids and contain bile acid-lecithin mixed micelles. Fast and reliable techniques for assessing solubility in... 

The few examples of deliberate investigation of dynamic processes as reflected by compression/expansion hysteresis have involved monolayers of fatty acids (Munden and Swarbrick, 1973 Munden et al., 1969), lecithins (Bienkowski and Skolnick, 1974 Cook and Webb, 1966), polymer films (Townsend and Buck, 1988) and monolayers of fatty acids and their sodium sulfate salts on aqueous subphases of alkanolamines (Rosano et al., 1971). A few of these studies determined the amount of hysteresis as a function of the rate of compression and expansion. However, no quantitative analysis of the results was attempted. Historically, dynamic surface tension has been used to study the dynamic response of lung phosphatidylcholine surfactant monolayers to a sinusoidal compression/expansion rate in order to mimic the mechanical contraction and expansion of the lungs. 

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