Rapeseed lecithin’s strengths become apparent in times of crisis Lecithin from regionally grown rapeseed not only has cost advantages, it also scores points for availability, quality, functionality, and sustainability. Tom Eggerstedt, Product Manager Rapeseed lecithin at Sternchemie, says, “In the past, rapeseed was overshadowed by its botanical competitors sunflower. But due to supply chain disruptions resulting from the various crises in the past three years, many of our customers have switched to rapeseed lecithin. And not just that – rapeseed stands out as a safe, available, lower priced, and more regional alternative. We get more and more feedback from customers saying that going forward they want to stay with this lecithin source.”

Without doubt, economic considerations encourage a switch to rapeseed lecithin by customers. For over 30 years rapeseed lecithin has averaged lower in price than lecithin from other non-GM botanical sources. As a natural product, mostly regionally grown and produced with short transport distances between growers and final customers, rapeseed lecithin also has an attractively low environmental impact.

Sternchemie focuses on quality and functionality. “With its current quality standards, rapeseed has overcome the critical image it once had. By modifying seed and improvement of production and processing steps, today rapeseed lecithin has reached the same level as lecithin from other botanical sources,” says Kira Plake, Technical Product & Application Manager. “Undesirable erucic acid long ago stopped playing any role in cultivated rapeseed varieties.”