The launch of the ‘label-friendly’ product follows last year’s ruling by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that PHOs are not ‘generally recognized as safe’.
This decision had repercussions for monoglycerides and DATEM as they may contain PHO, according to Katherine Lutz, marketing manager at Cargill.
The FDA found PHOs are a primary dietary source of artificial trans-fat in processed food. Eating trans-fat raises the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood, which can increase the risk of developing heart disease, said Lutz.
Two types of soy lecithin
“Cargill’s premium soy lecithin solution does not contain PHO, offering our customers a cost-effective, ready-to-go option,” she said.
Cargill claims its unmodified soy lecithin products replicate the functionality of monoglycerides and DATEM in a cost-effective manner. It is available in two versions: liquid and de-oiled, which is highly concentrated lecithin in powder or granule form.
“Most of our customers prefer the de-oiled soy lecithin option, which is easy to use in production,” Bill Gilbert, certified master baker and principal food technologist at Cargill, told BakeryandSnacks.
Clean label and health benefits
The soy lecithin also taps the consumer trend for shorter ingredient lists, said Cargill.
“Given consumers’ concerns surrounding ingredient labels, and the recent FDA ruling on PHOs, this is a solution many of our customers have been clamoring for,” added Lutz.
“Many bakeries are already using soy lecithin in bread for pan release and high speed slicing, so with our solution, no new ingredients will be added to the label. Given consumer trends, bakery manufacturers see this as a real plus.”
Progress with bakery manufactures
Cargill said it had a number of domestic and international customers in different stages of validating and commercializing the soy lecithin.
“Our customers are very excited at the opportunity to have a shortened label, without impacting the overall quality of the final product or increasing cost in use,” said Gilbert.
Cargill has also found its premium sunflower lecithin can perform a similar – and allergen free – role as soy lecithin.
“Currently there is a global shortage of sunflower lecithin,” said Gilbert. “As additional processing capacity comes online, we expect to see customers interested in using sunflower lecithin, given it offers both label-friendly and allergen-free appeal.”