• Type: De-oiled and Hydrolyzed lecithins.
• Functions: Enhances hydration, flow, and stability in milk powders (0.3–1.5%) and cocoa powders (up to 5%), preventing clumping and fat exudation.
• Lecithin is widely used in instant and infant foods as a wetting and dispersing agent, improving hydration, flow properties, and stability.
1. Milk Powders: Lecithin reduces surface tension and forms interactions with proteins, enabling controlled hydration. It is applied during the agglomeration of whole milk powder (WMP) and fat-filled milk powder (FFMP) to coat particles, enhance flowability, prevent dusting, and improve dispersion. Typical lecithin usage ranges from 0.3–1.5%.
Hydrophilic lecithins are also used in co-spray drying processes for instantized powders, balancing wetting and preventing clumping in protein powders.
2. Instant Cocoa Powders: Lecithin increases hydrophilicity, aiding the dispersion of cocoa particles in water or milk. It prevents fat exudation from cocoa powder and is added either during cocoa cake processing (up to 5%) or sprayed during ingredient agglomeration (up to 1.5%). This ensures smooth mixing and better shelf stability.
Lecithins also improve heat stability in reconstituted milk, supporting both functional performance and product quality across various instant food applications.