Under the code mark E322 food additive - soy lecithin is hidden. In general, it is relatively innocuous (in any case, its harm has not yet been proved). Soy lecithin is obtained from soybean oil, purified, filtered, and extracted at low temperatures. E322 is used as an emulsifier (an additive that makes it possible to obtain a homogeneous mass, from components that mix poorly with each other, for example, water and oil) and an antioxidant (it does not spoil products, with prolonged contact with air oxygen). The scope of soy lecithin is broad, if not to say, immense:
- production of food products - chocolate, mayonnaise, some sour-milk products, muffins, crackers, bakery products, margarine;
- paint and varnish production - a component of oil paints and fatty solvents;
- in cosmetics - creams, lotions, masks, shampoos, lip balms, etc .;
- in the production of fertilizers and pesticides;
- pharmacology - used in the manufacture of certain drugs, as well as an independent biologically active additive to food.
Harmful or not E322?
E322, or soy lecithin, is an approved additive in many countries of the world (Russia, EU countries, USA). It is also used in medicine, for the treatment and prevention of a whole range of diseases:
- at a diabetes and a pancreatitis - for improvement of work of a pancreas;
- chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- for the treatment and prevention of chronic liver diseases;
- diseases of the joints and spine;
- gynecological diseases.
Such a wide application of lecithin is due to its main components - phospholipids. These are fat-like substances that are necessary for the formation of shells of animal cells - cell membranes. Lecithin is also produced in our body, but its quantity is not enough, and it must enter it with food. The main natural, natural sources of lecithin: eggs, liver of animals, nuts, soy.
With artificial, things can be quite different. Here are a few disturbing, however, unverified statements about soy lecithin:
- there is evidence that the use of soy and its products can negatively affect the human brain, worsening long-term memory, and lead to a decrease in the mass of the brain tissue;
- emulsifier E322 can harm the thyroid gland because of the soy isoflavones contained in it;
- frequent use of soy can lead to an inability to metabolize amino acids;
- and, perhaps, the most justified risk factor is the production of lecithin from genetically modified soy, the consequences, the use of which we can not yet predict.
But, despite all these alarming data, there is no clear evidence of harm E322 yet. The only officially recognized negative effect of E322 on the human body is the possibility of allergies , because artificial lecithin can accumulate in the tissues of our body.