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Sunflower lecithin, the new alternative to soy lecithin

Submitted by Natural Solutio. on Wed, 2010-06-16 10:50

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status to sunflower lecithin, opening up the market to an option other than soy lecithin. This year, sunflower lecithin is showing up in all sorts of health foods including food bars, breads, green powders and crackers.

Lecithin is used as an emulsifying agent in many foods to keep them at the proper consistency and texture. Since the only source of lecithin available in the U.S. up until this point has been from soy, it has been difficult to determine whether or not the lecithin contained in many foods has been genetically engineered (GE).

The problem with deriving lecithin from soy is that more than 90 percent of the U.S. soy crop is GE. Back when the USDA first drafted its organic standards for food, it made an exception for soy lecithin which, at the time, was not readily available from non-GE sources. As a result, many organic foods, unless specifically labeled as containing non-GMO (genetically modified organism) soy lecithin, can legally contain GMO soy lecithin and still be labeled organic.

Some manufacturers have made a point of obtaining non-GMO soy lecithin for their products, but many do not specify one way or the other. For several years, the Cornucopia Institute has attempted to put pressure on the USDA to update its organic guidelines to mandate that only non-GMO soy lecithin be used in organic products. Since non-GMO soy lecithin became commercially available in 2004, there is no reason for any organic producers to continue using GMO soy lecithin in their products.

Following a petition given to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the board agreed to remove liquid soy lecithin from its list but voted against removing the dry version. Because dry lecithin is derived using an acetone solvent, and nobody has found a non-chemical alternative, the board caved to corporate pressures to keep dry GMO lecithin on the organic exemption list.

Besides the GMO element, soy is an ingredient that increasing numbers of people are trying to avoid anyway. Whether to address people's allergy concerns or simply to attract consumers that wish to avoid soy's phytoestrogen characteristics, "soy free" is becoming a popular label on many natural and organic products. With the introduction of sunflower lecithin, manufacturers now have a viable emulsification alternative.

The amazing thing about sunflower lecithin is that, unlike soy lecithin, it can be extracted without harsh chemical solvents like hexane and acetone. Using a cold pressing system similar to what is used to obtain things like olive oil, sunflower lecithin is the only kind of lecithin that can be obtained raw and chemical-free. It is rich in phosphatidylcholine (choline) and essential fatty acids like phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine.

Some health brands that have begun using sunflower lecithin include Greens Plus, Betty Lou's, Source Naturals, Happy Baby, Divine Chocolate, Panda, Ciao Bella, and Natural Factors.

Some companies continue to use non-GMO soy lecithin and they indicate it on their ingredient lists. Particularly in the case of companies that produce green powders, some actually highlight the fact that their products contain no lecithin "fillers". Whatever the case, it is important to be informed about the various types of lecithin in use and to encourage your favorite brands to use the best forms if they choose to use it in their products.