Why and How to Use Sunflower Lecithin in Your Edibles

Consumers are making conscious purchases to support their bodies and minds. One product on the rise is sunflower lecithin. Today, we’re going to be talking about what sunflower lecithin is and why you should be using our Non-GMO Sunflower Lecithin Powder in your next batch of edibles. 

What is Sunflower Lecithin?

When it comes to baking, lecithin is everywhere. It’s found in a range of different foods from chocolate bars to coconut cake. Lecithin acts as a bridge between oil and water, binding the two together so they don’t separate. 

Soy lecithin is often used as it’s fairly inexpensive to grow and process, but many consumers are sensitive to soy. This is where sunflower lecithin comes in. As a phospholipid, sunflower lecithin acts as an emulsifier. Though lecithin can come as a liquid, ONGROK utilizes sunflower lecithin in powder form for use in our botanical infuser. Essentially, the emulsifier bonds water to fats for consistent herbal infusions. 

How Sunflower Lecithin Transforms Your Edibles

Because of sunflower lecithin’s ability to bind oils to liquids, some believe it can help unique compounds like CBD bind together better as well. If true, this would serve as a game-changer for homemade edibles made in your botanical infuser and create potent concoctions. 

As we noted, ONGROK’s sunflower lecithin comes as a powder, allowing for easy clean-up and quick dissolution in water. Sunflower lecithin can also help increase your edibles’ shelf life as water separated from oil can lead to mold. The powder also uniformly disperses, leaving you with a smooth, balanced mixture in your botanical infuser. Finally, lecithin powder creates a moist texture, reducing the likelihood of crumbling. This can be perfect for dry treats like cookies, and sticky desserts like gummies, and herbal-infused recipes.

Sunflower Lecithin Benefits

Sunflower lecithin can transform your edibles, but it’s also thought to carry additional benefits. First, all sunflower lecithin is non-GMO. This is because sunflower is never genetically modified, meaning it has not been altered to be resistant to weed killer like Round-Up or negatively influence biodiversity. 

Sunflower lecithin is also gluten-free. Millions of people across North America are sensitive to gluten products, making it an excellent emulsifier alternative. Furthermore, sunflower lecithin is also vegan, and it can act as an egg substitute. To substitute one egg, just add one tablespoon of sunflower lecithin to your recipe. Finally, there is no need to worry about harmful additives. This is because sunflower lecithin is created through a gentle extraction process known as cold pressing, which does not employ the use of harsh chemicals, simply pressing the oil out of crushed-up sunflower seeds.

Though we cannot say for certain, some research has shown that sunflower lecithin may possess health benefits. For instance, sunflower lecithin packs key nutrients such as choline and Omega 3 fats. Choline serves various functions in the body, helping the liver and metabolic processes. Omega 3 fats offer a healthy boost of fats and help lubricate joints and decrease joint and arthritic pain. 

Sunflower Lecithin and Your Botanical Infuser 

It’s clear adding sunflower lecithin powder could boost your edible experience. Now, how do you use it with your oil infuser? You’re going to begin by decarboxylating your herbs.  You can do this with our decarboxylation bags. Our airtight bags are a cost-effective way to decarb your herbs in the oven. After you’ve finished decarboxylating your botanicals, you can choose to store some of your herbs for later use in our decarboxylation bags or use all of your herbs for processing in our oil infuser. 

Once you’ve decided how to proceed, take your predetermined amount of herbs and add them into our botanical infuser with a carrier oil, whether it be coconut oil or olive oil. Then, add one tablespoon of sunflower lecithin into your botanical infuser and turn it on. It’s simple! And just as sunflower lecithin doesn’t let water and oil separate, our storage bags are airtight, sealing freshness and odours. You can also store your sunflower lecithin edibles in our decarboxylation bags once you’re done baking them. 

Sunflower lecithin is a great addition to your botanical infuser kit. Be sure to use them with our airtight bags to increase shelf life and make the most of them. Feel free to drop us a review or leave any tips you’ve found useful to make your edible experience the best one yet.