Lecithin

A viscous oily liquid that is found in certain animal and vegetable matter. Lecithins are composed of a mixture of diglycerides of fatty acids (stearic, palmitic, oleic, linolenic and linoleic) linked to the choline ester of phosphoric acid. Commercially, lecithin is obtained from soybean, corn, and egg yolk. It is used for emulsifying, dispersing, and wetting, added to food products, paints, printing inks, plastic molding as a release agent, textiles as a lubricant, and leather as a dressing.