Q&A: What’s the Big Deal About Lecithin?

Recently a reader asked me the following question. It's a good one, so I wanted to answer here on the blog...

What is the big deal about soy lecithin and if most artisan producers manage to do without it, why don't all chocolatiers?

The big deal about soy lecithin is a combination of science and economics.



Soy lecithin is derived from soy beans and is primarily used in foods as an emulsifier. An emulsifier keeps fat from separating out of a product and makes mixing oil and solids much easier by lowering the viscosity or flow-ability of the product. Many chocolate manufacturers LOVE lecithin because it makes production more efficient and more economical.

Here’s how: during chocolate production, the ingredients are initially mixed together using a small amount of liquid cocoa butter – just enough to make a paste that it can go through a refining process in order to make the chocolate particles small and smooth.

After that, however, a much larger amount of cocoa butter has to be added so the chocolate viscosity matches whatever specifications are needed for its application (couverture, ice cream coating, baking chips, etc.).

Since water can’t be used to thin down chocolate, the only other option is fat/oil. Cocoa butter is the natural choice to use for chocolate but it is the most expensive ingredient. This is where soy lecithin comes in.

Lecithin is cheaper and can be used to replace cocoa butter in decreasing the viscosity of chocolate. Lecithin (and other emulsifiers) can reduce the amount of cocoa butter used by several percentage points and save hundreds of thousands of dollars to chocolate manufacturers every year.

So if it can save so much money, why don’t all chocolatiers use soy lecithin?

To the large scale chocolate manufacturer, there’s more benefit to using soy lecithin than not. In fact, it’s a necessity these days if they want to stay in business.

On the other hand, the small batch or artisan chocolatier has more choice in the matter as they have more control over the process. For them, lecithin is an optional ingredient in terms of functionality (after all, cocoa butter does just fine in reducing viscosity), and if small enough batches are made the cost savings aren’t nearly as significant.

Perhaps the artisan producers also have more of a dedication to the art of chocolate, more enthusiasm for chocolate “purity” and strict standards.

Also, some people are allergic to soy, giving the non-lecithin using chocolatier a loyal following. And, according to some chocolate enthusiasts, using an emulsifier to replace cocoa butter diminishes flavor and enjoyment.