Sternchemie, a manufacturer and supplier of lecithin, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, has added new sunflower lecithins to its product range that the company says meet the highest sensory demands in terms of colour, smell and taste.
A few years ago, the company showed in tests with baked goods and chocolate that sunflower lecithin has the same emulsifying effect as IP soy. However, unlike soy lecithin, raw lecithin from sunflower seeds contains other substances that can affect quality. Using a specially developed process, Sternchemie says it has refined the raw lecithin to a greater degree than is standard. By upgrading the process and using improved raw materials, the company has succeeded in producing sunflower lecithins that are equivalent to IP soy lecithin in colour and flavour.
LeciStar S 200 has a light colour and a mild, slightly nutty sunflower taste, while LeciStar S 300 is also light in colour but almost neutral in smell and flavour. This makes both lecithins suitable for products that are sensitive in terms of odour and taste, such as white chocolate and milk powder.
In addition to standardised sunflower lecithin for universal use, the company's product range includes a version with high solubility and stability in oil mixes, making it suitable for instant products.
In addition to the liquid LeciStar and SternInstant products, Sternchemie offers sunflower lecithins in powdered form, such as SternPur S P, a de-oiled sunflower lecithin powder with a very high effective ingredient content of over 95%.