INS 322 (i) is lecithin, a natural mixture of phospholipids taken from oil seeds; in Europe it is E322. The parent number 322 covers the lecithins as a group, and the sub-index (i) names ordinary lecithin, as distinct from partially hydrolysed (ii) and hydroxylated (iii) lecithin. Codex lists it as an emulsifier and an antioxidant.
Most food lecithin is recovered when soybean oil is refined; sunflower and rapeseed lecithin are also common, and egg yolk is a classic source. Soy is a major food allergen, so the source matters to anyone avoiding soy.
Snack makers use lecithin to keep fat and the other ingredients evenly mixed. It makes melted chocolate flow more easily, as in M&M’s Peanut, helps fat spread evenly through wafer and biscuit batters, and on Lay’s Stax it is listed next to INS 471 as an emulsifier.
