Protection against Oxidation in Mayonnaise by the Control of Dissolved Oxygen

Abstract

Mayonnaise is an oil-in-water emulsion formulated with egg yolk and vegetable oil. Since the oil is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, mayonnaise is very susceptible to oxidation and subsequent loss of quality. In countries other than Japan, the addition of EDTA has been implemented to prevent the oxidation of mayonnaise. However, we in Japan have been testing alternative methods of preventing oxidation by controlling the amount of oxygen from outside through the packaging.
Since this oxygen control alone cannot maintain the long-term quality of mayonnaise, we have studied the effects of controlling the level of dissolved oxygen (DO). However, this method has not been used in a high-density emulsified food before. In this study, we first measured the amount of DO in mayonnaise with a non-invasive fluorescence type DO sensor. Next, we produced mayonnaise with various levels of DO. Finally we analyzed the amount of DO and the flavor of the mayonnaise.
As a result, we confirmed that without the addition of an antioxidant such as EDTA, we could avoid the oxidation during storage of mayonnaise by controlling the level of DO.