Textural properties of low fat mayonnaise with whey protein concentrate and Tragacanth gum as egg and fat substitutes

Introduction. Mayonnaise is a kind of oil-in-water emulsion that usually contains 70–80% of oil. However, modern food science keeps providing new knowledge about high-fat products, which makes it possible to solve the problems related to health concerns. Study objects and methods. The research featured high-fat mayonnaise (20% of oil) with reduced oil stabilizer (1.75%) and without egg stabilizer. In experimental samples, egg stabilizer was replaced with 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5% of whey protein concentrate and 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0% of Tragacanth gum. Mayonnaise with 3.5% oil stabilizer and 0.3% egg stabilizer was used as control sample. The samples were tested for such textural attributes as firmness, consistency, adhesive force, and adhesiveness. Results and discussion. The highest and the lowest textural values were demonstrated by the sample with 0.4% of whey protein concentrate and 0.5% of Tragacanth gum and the sample with 0.5% of whey protein concentrate and 1.0% of Tragacanth, respectively. The former showed textural characteristics similar to those of the control sample. The presence of hydrocolloids proved to affect the texture properties of mayonnaise, whereas Tragacanth gum reduced its elasticity. It formed a strong and complex gel-like structure in the continuous phase. As a result, oil droplets in the emulsion had a smaller diameter, which improved the texture properties of low-fat mayonnaise. Conclusion. Whet protein concentrate and Tragacanth gum in amounts of 0.5% and 1.0%, respectively, can be used to replace egg stabilizer and reduce oil stabilizer in low-fat mayonnaise.