ELMA is the European Lecithin Manufacturers Association, representing major producers of lecithin in the European Union.
ELMA was founded in 1999 and has since the onset had the mission of representing the European lecithin industry towards European institutions and other International bodies, while linking its members together in a network of expertise on lecithin and its derived products.
ELMA seeks to improve knowledge about lecithin’s usefulness in different applications and provides factual information about lecithin to interested parties across Europe, such as consumers, journalists and authorities.
Lecithin is mostly a mixture of glycolipids, triglycerides, and phospholipids. However, in biochemistry, lecithin is usually used as a synonym for pure phosphatidylcholine, a phospholipid which is the major component of a phosphatide fraction which may be isolated from either egg yolk (in Greek lekithos – λεκιθος) or soy beans from which it is mechanically or chemically extracted.