Application of yellow mustard gum in preparation of egg-free mayonnaise

Yellow mustard gum (YMG) is a natural hydrocolloid extracted from the viscous fraction of the seed coat, a by-product of mustard seeds, and possesses superior emulsifying capacity in emulsions. However, there is no application of YMG for commercial products. The demand for vegan mayonnaise (VM) has increased in recent years and the challenge is to maintain the original consistency and taste while replacing eggs from conventional mayonnaise. To obtain high-quality VM and to investigate the potential of YMG as a food additive, YMG was applied to VM at 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1.0% (w/w) in this study. The physical properties (index of stability, rheological properties and particle size characterisation), storage stability (visual stability, microstructure observation and cold tolerance) and texture of YMG-formulated VM were measured and compared with commercial products to assess the quality and market prospects. The results showed that the VM obtained higher stability, more non-Newtonian flow behaviour, and a smaller droplet size with higher YMG content. After 90 days of storage, no separation occurred in the YMG-added VM. YMG improves the shelf-life of VM, and mayonnaise formulated with YMG has comparative or better texture properties compared with commercial counterparts. Overall, YMG-added VM could be more appealing to consumers favouring plant-based foods and have the potential to substitute for traditional products. YMG is beneficial to vegan product development with clean-label requirements.