Certification to assure soy-free sunflower lecithin

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

- Last updated on GMT

The test can detect as little as 0.01% soy in sunflower lecithin, the company says
The test can detect as little as 0.01% soy in sunflower lecithin, the company says

Related tags Polymerase chain reaction

Cert ID Europe has introduced a certification programme to confirm that sunflower lecithin does not contain traces of soy.

The programme is intended for sunflower lecithin suppliers – particularly those supplying the bakery, chocolate and confectionery industries – as the food sector increasingly seeks alternatives to the widely used emulsifier soy lecithin.

“In the last two years there has been a strong industry trend, which is set to increase, to replace large volumes of soy lecithin with sunflower lecithin to avoid issues with GM and allergens,”​ said Cert ID Europe managing director Richard Werran. “However issues with cross contamination, co-mingling with soy with the lack of a validated and matrix optimised PCR test to verify the absence soy in sunflower lecithin has proven challenging, until now.”

The company said the PCR testing it requires for certification was more accurate than conventional ELISA testing, and had been developed specifically to quantify the presence of soy in sunflower lecithin. It claims the Genetic ID Europe test can detect as little as 0.01% soy.

“Furthermore, this new PCR test, deployed within the context of a third party certification programme, adds the extra layer of assurance that food manufacturers now require to meet increasing regulatory, retailer and above all EU consumer expectations,”​ Werran said.

The first company to use the certification programme is Unilecithin, part of the Barentz Group.

Its commercial director Shadab Siddiqui said: “GM and allergens remain top of the agenda for food ingredients buyers and so sourcing lecithin that is assured ‘soy free’ eliminates many issues with regard to labelling and declarations. …This is a major move forward and we are already in talks with some big names in confectionery and bakery about switching to sunflower lecithin, certified under the new scheme.”

Related topics Ingredients

Related news

Related products

show more

More delicious. More functional. All gluten-free.

More delicious. More functional. All gluten-free.

Content provided by ADM | 17-Apr-2024 | Case Study

While public opinion of gluten has softened in recent times, consumers continue to adopt lifestyle diets that avoid or remove gluten-rich products. And...

Discover Premium Berry Ingredients from Fruit d’Or

Discover Premium Berry Ingredients from Fruit d’Or

Content provided by Fruit D'or | 09-Apr-2024 | Product Catalog

Fruit d'Or has supplied premium cranberries and wild blueberries to global commercial bakeries for over 20 years. Rooted in the philosophy of "better...

How Bakeries Improve Cost Efficiencies, Naturally

How Bakeries Improve Cost Efficiencies, Naturally

Content provided by Lesaffre | 09-Apr-2024 | White Paper

Bakeries today must do more with less, even as goals creep higher and higher. There’s less time, less staff, and less budget. But quality can’t decrease....

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars