Effect of Emulsifiers on the Crystal Growth of Solid Edible Fat

Part I. Effect of Lecithin

Abstract

Samples of hardened soybean oil, hardened palm kernel oil, beef tallow and lard, added with 1-10% of lecithin and tempered at 10° and 30°C, were submitted to the measurement of opencapillary melting point and solid fat index, and observation on polymorphic transition and crystal growth under an electron microscope. In hardened soybean oil, addition of lecithin resulted in higher melting point and solid fat index marked crystal growth, but the addition of lecithin had the effect of inhibiting crystal growth in the case of hardened palm kernel oil. Addition of lecithin had hardly any effect on beef tallow and lard, indicating probably interaction between fat and lecithin.