Unravelling the effect of phenolic compounds in the design of a yeast protein‐based emulsions

Abstract

Mayonnaise is an oil in water emulsion of egg, oil and an acid, worldwide consumed. The major challenges of the mayonnaise industry include searching for an alternative protein source. This study evaluates an alternative protein source, yeast protein extract (YPE), to replace egg in the mayonnaise model. Furthermore, the natural ability of phenolic compounds (PCs) to bind to proteins was studied to enhance the emulsifying capacity of YPE. The mayonnaise-like emulsions were characterised according to their rheology, texture and colour profile. There were no differences in rheological parameters between the YPE emulsion (G' at 1 Hz 785 AE 15 Pa) and onion powder emulsion (G' at 1 Hz 785 AE 15 Pa) compared with the commercial mayonnaise (CC, G' at 1 Hz 747 AE 16 Pa). In general, the emulsions obtained with YPE and YPE-PCs were found to have similar viscoelastic and viscosity properties to the CC. In terms of texture profile (firmness) the blueberry powder (0.574 AE 0.036 N), grape seed extract (0.497 AE 0.061 N) or wine extract (0.626 AE 0.128 N) YPE emulsions were equal to CC (0.561 AE 0.031 N). As a result, some of the mayonnaise-like emulsions developed could be alternatives to CC regarding physical-chemical properties.