Effects of pectin and xanthan gum on induced-flocculation phenomenon in an acidic model emulsion system

Abstract

Mayonnaise is one of the most well-known dressings in the world and has properly found its impossibility to apply thermal processing, the high level of cholesterol and some consumers’ allergy to egg. In this study, the production of egg- free mayonnaise in model system has been investigated with the emphasis on flocculation enhancement in the system. Flocculation of emulsion droplets can have beneficial or harmful effect on food quality depending on product nature. In this study, influence of flocculation inducing on the stability, microscopic structure, zeta potential, droplet size and rheological properties of egg-free mayonnaise system were evaluated. Xanthan (XG), pectin (PE) and modified starch (MS) biopolymers mixed at different concentrations were used as flocculation inducer in emulsion system. XG-MS and PE-MS mixed polymers created depletion flocculation and reduced the speed of the oil droplets movement in the product and thus increased emulsion stability. In addition, an increase of all gum concentration caused an increment in the stability, consistency coefficient and heat stability values. Depending on the desirable level of xanthan gum and pectin gum for creating depletion flocculation, production of egg-free mayonnaise with properties closely matching those of commercial ones with egg is possible.