Why is Lecithin in Chocolate?
- Claire Lee
- Apr 7
- 2 min read
When you read the ingredients list on a bar of chocolate, you’d probably expect to find sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and natural flavors. But then there’s lecithin. What is it, and why do chocolate companies use it?
Lecithin is a group of fatty substances commonly found in egg yolks and soybeans. The reason why it’s useful in chocolate is because it acts as an emulsifier—lecithin binds sugar and fat together. It can do this because its molecule has one lipophobic (hates fat) end and another lipophilic (loves fat) end. The lipophobic part of lecithin wants to get as far away from the fats in cocoa butter as possible, so it attaches to a sugar molecule.
This leaves the lipophilic tail to happily float in the surrounding fat. As a result, chocolate becomes much less viscous, making it easier to handle. Lecithin also increases the moisture capacity of chocolate products, which is important because otherwise, chocolate would be highly sensitive to water.
Although lecithin is regarded as safe to consume, some worry that it leads to health problems. Too much lecithin likely does have adverse effects, as would anything eaten in excess, even kale! But in most foods, it’s present in trace amounts far from what you would need to consume to experience direct health complications. In the US, the percentage of lecithin in chocolate is limited to a mere 0.5% by mass, though it may vary based on the type of chocolate.
So, there’s no need to worry about finding lecithin listed as one of the ingredients in your chocolate. In fact, scientists have found that lecithin can have health benefits, from lowering “bad” (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol to aiding digestion.
Enjoy your chocolate!
Claire Lee is a junior at Leigh High School in San Jose, California. She is currently a student researcher for miRcore, a non-profit working to democratize medical research for all. She has worked in a confectionary shop and is interested in baking and chocolate.
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