Characterization of mayonnaise properties prepared using frozen-thawed egg yolk treated with hydrolyzed egg yolk proteins as anti-gelator

Abstract

Egg yolk plays a crucial role in mayonnaise making. As an emulsifier, egg yolk controls the texture and stability of mayonnaise. Freezing extends the shelf-life of the yolks, however it causes gelation which negatively alters the functional properties of the yolk including its emulsifying ability. At 10% wt/wt concentration, sucrose and sodium chloride are effective gelation inhibitors that have been widely used over the years. Recently, it was found that hydrolyzed egg yolk proteins (HEY) can prevent egg yolk gelation at only 5% (wt/wt) concentration, nevertheless further research is still needed to evaluate the resulting yolk characteristics. In this study, frozen-thawed yolk products containing 5% HEY, 10% salt, and 10% sugar were used as emulsifiers in mayonnaise. Rheological properties (i.e. firmness, thixotropy, yield stress, stability), heat stability, and particle size distribution were characterized and compared to those of mayonnaise prepared with fresh yolk without additives and fresh yolk containing 5% HEY. Results showed that the mayonnaise prepared with frozen-thawed HEY yolk has very high heat stability as well as comparable rheological properties, texture and microstructure to the mayonnaise formulated using fresh yolk.