People have known about the truly magical qualities of lanolin since antiquity. Today, sheep wool acts as a raw material for obtaining this substance.
It is used in medicine, because it has healing properties for open wounds and all kinds of dermatological diseases.
As a food additive, lanolin is known under the index E913. This wax is allowed to be used by people from infancy, it is of natural origin and does not adversely affect health. Means based on lanolin, it is customary to lubricate cracks in the breasts of nursing mothers.
Characteristics of the substance
The chemical composition of the substance E913 is currently not fully known, it is very complex and is a combination of free high-molecular alcohols and their esters with higher fatty acids.
The main quality of lanolin can be considered its emulsifying ability, due to which it retains 2 times more moisture than its weight.
Today, almost the entire volume of this substance is obtained by leaching sheep wool. This method involves the process of washing sheep’s wool in a hot solution of water with alkali until an emulsion is formed. This emulsion contains saponified and unsaponified fats, mucus, wax and protein components. The smell of this emulsion is very strong and unpleasant.
To obtain raw lanolin, a centrifuge technique is used and subsequent processing of the resulting substance with phosphoric acid. At the very end of the process, a specific smell is removed from the resulting wax, it is cleaned of all kinds of impurities, aromatized and bleached.
The result is a mass similar to an ointment, very viscous, yellowish-brown, with a specific aroma, but devoid of taste. This wax is perfectly soluble in chloroform, carbons, acetone, and various ethers.
The average solubility of the substance is observed in an alcohol medium, but in an aqueous medium, E913 wax does not dissolve at all. The melting point of a substance with an index of E913 is an indicator of 35-37 degrees.
Effects on the human body
As a food additive, E913 is considered a completely harmless substance. In very rare cases, there is an allergic reaction to lanolin in the form of a skin rash. However, in the food sector, on the basis of the E913 additive, most of the processed fruit and vegetable mixtures are prepared. But in the cosmetology field, there are a lot of applications for lanolin.
Also, the food supplement E913 does not have nutritional value, but is very useful as a medication.
This wax can often also be used to lubricate pans and bakeware, and to impregnate wrapping materials in the food sector. When adding a substance to the mixture for processing the fruit and vegetable group, a significant increase in the shelf life of these products occurs. E913 is present in candy icing, dragees, chocolate products, flour confectionery, coffee beans, chewing gum and nuts.
But the use of lanolin is not limited to the food industry. In the cosmetic industry, it is an excellent ingredient in many facial creams, lotions and gels for the face and body, bubble baths, masks, conditioners and hair shampoos. This substance perfectly softens rough skin when rubbing products that contain it in their composition.
In the pharmacological industry, the E913 additive is used in laxatives, for healing patches and ointments, this substance is widely used in the chemical industry.
Lanolin or food additive E913 is a permitted food component in almost all countries of the world, including the countries of the European Union, Ukraine, Russia and America.