What Are Phospholipids?

Phospholipids, also known as phospholipids and phospholipids, refer to lipids containing phosphoric acid and belong to complex lipids. Phospholipids make up the main components of biofilms and are divided into glycerol and sphingomyelin, which are composed of glycerol and sphingosine. Phospholipids are amphoteric molecules with a hydrophilic nitrogen or phosphorus-containing head on one end and a long (hydrophobic) long hydrocarbon-based chain on the other end. For this reason, the hydrophilic ends of phospholipid molecules are close to each other, and the hydrophobic ends are close to each other. They often form a lipid bilayer, that is, the structure of a cell membrane, together with other molecules such as proteins, glycolipids, and cholesterol.

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So far, it has been found that phospholipids are present in almost all body cells, and contain more phospholipids in important tissues of animals and plants. Animal phospholipids are mainly derived from egg yolk, milk, animal brain tissue, liver, kidney and muscle tissue. Plant phospholipids mainly exist in oil seeds, and most of them are in the colloidal phase, and they exist in a bound state with proteins, sugars, fatty acids, bacteriols, vitamins, etc., and are an important type of oil concomitant. In the process of oil production, phospholipids come out with the oil. The content of phospholipids in soybean oil is the highest in soybean oil, so soybean phospholipids are the most important source of plant phospholipids. ^[1]

Phospholipids were first discovered from the human brain by Uauquelin in 1812, separated from egg yolk by Gobley in 1844, and named Lecithin (lecithin) in 1850 according to the Greek lekithos.

Phospholipids have a history of more than 70 years from commercial production. The most abundant soybean phospholipids considered to date have been discovered in Germany in 1930 and commercialized gradually. Since the 1970s, countries such as Europe and the United States have begun to use such health products. In the United States, the total sales volume of lecithin health products is second only to multivitamins and vitamin E and ranks third. According to data, the world's annual output of soybean phospholipids is about 140,000 tons. The United States and Western Europe account for 60% of the world's total production of soybean phospholipids, and the main manufacturers are major mainstream companies in the United States and Germany.

Japan approved the use of soy phospholipids in 1961, and phospholipid product companies prospered. There are a wide variety of soybean phospholipid products on the market. Japanese nutritionist Hiroyuki Otaki called phospholipids "the most popular of the century in his book" Great health food. "

China's research and development of phospholipids started in the 1950s, but due to various reasons, the production of phospholipids did not develop vigorously until the industrialized scale production in the 1990s. ^[4]

1. Classification by phospholipid glycerol skeleton

Phospholipids can be divided into glycerolphospholipid and glycerol based on different glycerol skeletons.

• Physical properties

It is milky white, light yellow or brown depending on the degree of processing and bleaching. It is easily soluble in ether, benzene, chloroform, n-hexane, and insoluble in polar solvents such as acetone and water. It is an amphoteric surfactant and has emulsifying properties.

• Chemical properties

It can carry out hydrolysis reaction, acetylation, hydroxylation, acylation, sulfonation, saturation (oxidation saturates phospholipids), activation (introduction of unsaturated groups) and other reactions. ^[2]

Phospholipids are lipid compounds that contain phospholipids and are the basis of life. The cell membrane is composed of about 40% protein and about 50% lipid (mainly phospholipids). It is composed of lecithin, inositol phospholipid, brain phospholipid, etc. These phospholipids have corresponding functions on various parts and organs of the human body. Phospholipids can play a significant role in activating cells, maintaining metabolism, basal metabolism and balanced secretion of hormones, enhancing the body's immunity and regeneration. ^[1]

After removing most of lecithin from soybean phospholipid, it is extracted and separated with organic solvent, and then emulsified and spray-dried.

Add 3% water to soybean oil, stir well at 60 80 for 30min, the phospholipid hydrates into a gelatinous precipitate, and hydrated phospholipid is obtained by continuous centrifugation. At 70 , 3% hydrogen peroxide (amount 1.5) %) Decolorization; and then dried under reduced pressure at 80 to 100 ° C. and 2.67 to 8.00 kPa to obtain a liquid phospholipid with a content of 60% to 70%.

Oil and fatty acids in the phospholipids were dissolved with 3 to 5 times 50 ° C acetone. After centrifugal separation, the treatment was repeated twice, and finally dried at 60 ° C under reduced pressure to obtain phospholipid powder with a content of more than 95%. ^[6]

In the food industry, phospholipids are often used as emulsifiers to make oils soluble in water. Common are

Phospholipids are found in the cells of all animals and plants. In plants, it is mainly distributed in seeds, nuts and grains. Egg yolk and soy are rich in phospholipids. Other plants such as corn, cottonseed, rapeseed, peanut, and sunflower seed contain a certain amount of phospholipids. Many studies have reported that they are relatively low in content and are not as large in size as soybeans in foreign oil processing, which are rare as by-products. ^[7]